(Im)polite uses of vocatives in present-day Madrilenian Spanish

Bibliographic Data

ID21179880
AuthorsFien De Latte (0000-0001-6215-0467, Ghent University Hospital, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume21
Issue2
Pages312-341
Publication date2024-11-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSpanish in Context (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1571-0718 • E-ISSN: 1571-0726
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/sic.22008.del
OpenAlexW4399182672
LanguageEN
References cited18

The present study aims to examine the socio-pragmatic scope of vocatives in present-day colloquial Spanish. As prototypical deictic markers, directly calling upon the addressee, vocatives are considered crucial mechanisms in the creation and maintaining of interpersonal relationships during interaction. This deictic potential makes them highly appropriate strategies at the service of face work and (im)politeness. However, the relation between (Spanish) vocatives and (im)politeness has scarcely been explored. In an attempt to fill this research gap, the present analysis empirically examines the socio-pragmatic functions related to the expression of (im)politeness that the Spanish vocative is able to fulfill in colloquial conversations. The results show that its socio-pragmatic multifunctionality needs to be evaluated in the broad context, not only by taking into account the hosting speech act and the vocative’s semantic features, but also extra-linguistic parameters, such as the interpersonal relationship and the speaker’s age

Deixis · Interpersonal communication · Interpersonal interaction · Linguistics · Politeness · Pragmatics · Speech act · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · History · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access