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Social Indexicality in French Pronominal Address
Author(s) -
Morford Janet
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of linguistic anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.463
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1548-1395
pISSN - 1055-1360
DOI - 10.1525/jlin.1997.7.1.3
Subject(s) - indexicality , linguistics , sociology , computer science , philosophy
This article examines the socially significant meanings generated through the use of the French second‐person singular pronominal address forms, tu and vous. The enduring complexity of this address system derives from the coexistence of two orders of indexical relations, which link particular patterns of pronominal usage with various contextual dimensions. Speakers' strategic use of pronominal forms and beliefs about the uses and users of language are emphasized as crucial to understanding the logic and evolution of such systems.