Clare-Dragonfly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clare_dragonfly) wrote2016-01-10 07:32 pm
clare_dragonfly) wrote2016-01-10 07:32 pm
Entry tags:
Languary - Day 10
Today I've written honorifics. These would be appended to the name of the person you are addressing.
The honorifics are not gendered, but depend on the relative power and wisdom/education of the person you are addressing. For example, to an ordinary citizen, an Imperial officer would get the "powerful person" honorific (depending on age), while a librarian would get the "wise person" honorific. Addressing someone like a parent, you would usually not use any honorific at all, but you might add one if you want to add extra politeness. If I referred to my mother as "mother-uja," she would probably think I wanted something.
Wise person older: -uja
Wise person same age: -ija
Wise person younger: -eija
Powerful person older: -uhe
Powerful person same age: -ihe
Powerful person younger: -eihe
Simple politeness: -uru
The first set is roughly equivalent to "lord/lady," the second to "doctor," and the third to "Mr./Mrs."
For the Empress or another extremely powerful person, an ordinary citizen would probably use both honorifics: "Empress-uhe-uja," "O wise and powerful Empress." That brings the politeness to a groveling extreme. Naturally, ordinary citizens do not have the opportunity to use this much, and most people the Empress talks to would address her simply as "Empress-uhe" or, perhaps for family members, "Empress-uru."
Maybe tomorrow I'll come up with words for parents, important job titles, and Empress!
The honorifics are not gendered, but depend on the relative power and wisdom/education of the person you are addressing. For example, to an ordinary citizen, an Imperial officer would get the "powerful person" honorific (depending on age), while a librarian would get the "wise person" honorific. Addressing someone like a parent, you would usually not use any honorific at all, but you might add one if you want to add extra politeness. If I referred to my mother as "mother-uja," she would probably think I wanted something.
Wise person older: -uja
Wise person same age: -ija
Wise person younger: -eija
Powerful person older: -uhe
Powerful person same age: -ihe
Powerful person younger: -eihe
Simple politeness: -uru
The first set is roughly equivalent to "lord/lady," the second to "doctor," and the third to "Mr./Mrs."
For the Empress or another extremely powerful person, an ordinary citizen would probably use both honorifics: "Empress-uhe-uja," "O wise and powerful Empress." That brings the politeness to a groveling extreme. Naturally, ordinary citizens do not have the opportunity to use this much, and most people the Empress talks to would address her simply as "Empress-uhe" or, perhaps for family members, "Empress-uru."
Maybe tomorrow I'll come up with words for parents, important job titles, and Empress!
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