Variation in polite address in contemporary Uruguayan Spanish
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María Irene Moyna
Abstract
This chapter explores formal address pronoun usted in Uruguayan Spanish (USp), by ascertaining the extent of its use and the influence of social and pragmatic variables. The study is based on a questionnaire that included situations of social distance or power difference (n = 579). For each situation, respondents chose among possible answers, including one formal (usted = U), and two informal (tú = T; vos = V) options, or filled in their own response. It was found that usted was preferred in most situations, but there was considerable variation. For example, informal choices were more frequent in long-term hierarchical relationships than in sporadic encounters; polite use was highest with older addressees. There were also differences in usted use by geographical region, with the west and south of the country exhibiting more informal patterns of use than the east and center. Speaker age mattered in some circumstances, with older speakers favoring more formal usage. Education was also significant, with speakers who had attended elite schools and were university graduates more likely to prefer informal address. The results confirm the retreat of usted from all but the most formal contexts in USp, in agreement with pan-Hispanic trends.
Abstract
This chapter explores formal address pronoun usted in Uruguayan Spanish (USp), by ascertaining the extent of its use and the influence of social and pragmatic variables. The study is based on a questionnaire that included situations of social distance or power difference (n = 579). For each situation, respondents chose among possible answers, including one formal (usted = U), and two informal (tú = T; vos = V) options, or filled in their own response. It was found that usted was preferred in most situations, but there was considerable variation. For example, informal choices were more frequent in long-term hierarchical relationships than in sporadic encounters; polite use was highest with older addressees. There were also differences in usted use by geographical region, with the west and south of the country exhibiting more informal patterns of use than the east and center. Speaker age mattered in some circumstances, with older speakers favoring more formal usage. Education was also significant, with speakers who had attended elite schools and were university graduates more likely to prefer informal address. The results confirm the retreat of usted from all but the most formal contexts in USp, in agreement with pan-Hispanic trends.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Address and address research 1
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Looking backwards, looking forwards
- A literature review of address studies from pragmatic and sociolinguistic perspectives 23
- On translating pronominal and nominal terms of address 47
- Examining Twitter as a source for address research using Colombian Spanish 75
- Imaginary customers and public figures 99
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Variation and change
- Now you Sie me, now you don’t 125
- On address pronouns in the history of Brazilian Portuguese 139
- Palenquero Creole 161
- Variation in polite address in contemporary Uruguayan Spanish 191
- Transition from V to T address among restaurant customers and waiters in Italy 221
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Reflections of address in digital and visual media
- Address negotiations in Dutch emails 253
- The variable functions of addressing hearer-participants with Spanish second person object forms in media discourse 281
- Pragmatic and grammatical categories for the analysis of forms of address in presidential election debates 305
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Nominal address
- Nominal address strategies in Cameroon French 335
- Brocatives 355
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Address, the self, and the other
- Introductions at international academic conferences 375
- Person-referring expressions, reference nominals, and address nominals 397
- Terms of address and self-reference in Ulaanbaatar Mongolian 415
- Index 435
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Address and address research 1
-
Looking backwards, looking forwards
- A literature review of address studies from pragmatic and sociolinguistic perspectives 23
- On translating pronominal and nominal terms of address 47
- Examining Twitter as a source for address research using Colombian Spanish 75
- Imaginary customers and public figures 99
-
Variation and change
- Now you Sie me, now you don’t 125
- On address pronouns in the history of Brazilian Portuguese 139
- Palenquero Creole 161
- Variation in polite address in contemporary Uruguayan Spanish 191
- Transition from V to T address among restaurant customers and waiters in Italy 221
-
Reflections of address in digital and visual media
- Address negotiations in Dutch emails 253
- The variable functions of addressing hearer-participants with Spanish second person object forms in media discourse 281
- Pragmatic and grammatical categories for the analysis of forms of address in presidential election debates 305
-
Nominal address
- Nominal address strategies in Cameroon French 335
- Brocatives 355
-
Address, the self, and the other
- Introductions at international academic conferences 375
- Person-referring expressions, reference nominals, and address nominals 397
- Terms of address and self-reference in Ulaanbaatar Mongolian 415
- Index 435
