Many languages feature the
T–V distinction, where two or more different pronouns are used contextually to convey formality or familiarity. In contrast, languages with pronoun avoidance tend to feature complex systems of
honorifics and use pronoun avoidance as a form of negative
politeness, instead employing expressions referring to status, relationship or title. and the neologism
Anda was invented in the 1950s to function as a polite second-person pronoun.
Japanese, well known for its
elaborate system of honorific speech, also exhibits pronoun avoidance, to such an extent that Maynard suggests that Japanese “lacks a pronominal system”. Pronoun avoidance may extend to first and third person pronouns as well. In
Vietnamese, a set of finely graded
kinship terms largely replace all pronouns, but it is also common particularly for women to refer to themselves by name, and titles are often used for third parties. As well, there may be
sociolects or dialects where pronoun avoidance occurs while more prevalent forms of the language lack it. Many Orthodox Jews, when addressing a rabbi, teacher, or other spiritual authority, will address him with the word "Rebbi" instead of "you." The practice is very old, dating at least to the Talmud, and has been noted in Halachic literature. However, though some English-speaking Jews do this, this practice is absent in English as a whole.
Languages featuring pronoun avoidance The
World Atlas of Language Structures characterizes the following languages as exhibiting pronoun avoidance: •
Burmese •
Indonesian •
Japanese •
Khmer •
Korean •
Thai •
Vietnamese ==Autism==