Politeness distinction in pronouns
The expression of politeness through distinct pronouns for the addressed is a phenomenon used by about a quarter of the world’s languages. For this parameter, pronouns are considered to be any bound or free morpheme that expresses such a distinction with respect to only the speaking partner.1 The choice of pronouns is determined by pragmatic and social factors: the level of respect and intimacy towards the person addressed (in some interpretations, power relations and solidarity). The choice also reflects the speaker’s face.2
Types:
NoPolit: The language lacks a politeness distinction.
PolitNoPn: Pronoun avoidance. Certain languages do not use pronouns to express politeness, but have a rich inventory of other strategies for expressing the distinction.
TwoPolit: Binary politeness distinction. The language distinguishes two types of relations (pragmatic function): an intimate/familiar relation and a respectful (honorific) relation. Such a binary distinction may also be expressed by several distinct pronouns, with the choice of pronoun depending on the dialectal or grammatical circumstances.
MultPolit: Multiple politeness distinction involves two or more degrees of politeness to express a non-intimate/familiar status.
1: For example, if a noun with its own lexical meaning can also be used exclusively with the second person to express a politeness distinction, the noun can be considered a quasi-pronoun in terms of this parameter.
2: Face (public self-image): the social status that the speaker wishes to claim for him or herself and be recognized by others.