What is a referent honorific?

Definition
	A referent honorific is an honorific for which both the referent and the target of the expression of relative social status are the same.

Examples (French)
	Both the referent and target of expression of the second person pronouns tu [familiar] and vous [polite] are the addressee.

Generic
	A referent honorific is a kind of
	What is a honorific?

Source
	Levinson 1983 90

Context for this page:

Concept module: referent honorific
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): R
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

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