Pronouns Of Address Research Articles

Some Forms of Derogatory Address during the Golden Age

The powerful hierarchies of Church and State in Golden-Age Spain placed great emphasis on the proper form of address, since the form used was indicative of>a person's rank within his own group. The lesser nobility and the lower classes were likewise meticulous in the choice of the proper pronoun of address in view of the fine gradations of social status indicated by vuestra merced, 6l, vos, and tzi. In general the rules established by society for the use of these forms of address were accepted without question. But since some forms, especially alteza, excelencia and merced, could imply that the recipient was equal to or superior to the speaker, some people, motivated by jealousy or haughtiness, resorted to subterfuges to avoid showing a person due respect. A favorite device was the use of an impersonal form whose studied artificiality was clearly evident. In Tirso's La Vida de Herodes, two of the characters, Mariadnes and Salom6, are princesses. But the haughty Mariadnes, believing that she has better claims to the title than Salom6, pointedly snubs her. Salom6 complains to her husband over this lack of courtesy:

Latin and German Abstractions as Forms of Address

(1945). Latin and German Abstractions as Forms of Address. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 218-231.

El and ella as Pronouns of Address

El and ella as Pronouns of Address