What is an authorized recipient?

Definition
	An authorized recipient is an addressee, having a unique status or belonging to a socially defined group, with whom one or more distinctive linguistic forms is used.

Discussion
	The use of distinctive linguistic forms for an authorized recipient expresses absolute social deixis.

Examples (English, Tunica)

An authorized recipient would be the appropriate person to receive a term of address such as Your Honor or Mr. President.

Source:

Levinson 1979 207

Here is an example in Tunica of an authorized recipient:

In Tunica, there are two different words for they which are dependent upon the sex of the addressee.

Concept module: authorized recipient
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): A
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004