Definition
An honorific is a grammatical form, typically a word or affix, that is socially deictic It expresses, as at least part of its meaning, the relative social status of the speaker with .
- the addressee
- a bystander, or
- some other referent.
Examples
(French)
The second-person pronoun forms tu and vous indicate, as part of their meaning, the speaker’s social status relative to the addressee.
Kinds
More specific concepts within honorific.
Sources 4
- Crystal 1985, 149
- Levinson 1983, 62, 90–91
- Comrie 1976b
- Mish 1991, 580