Shinasthana honorifics

Shinasthana honorifics are a system of honorific speech employed in Shinasthana, principally by Themiclesians but also by speakers of other nationalities. While most of these honorifics originated from politics and social conventions in Themiclesia, they are now broadly applied by speakers to interlocutors and referents, regardless of their nationalities.

Principles

As in many other langauges, customary honorifics in Themiclesian usage generally elevates the listener and demeans the speaker, in both directions. The same applies to other persons or things connected with these parties. This is called the "primary axis" (大旨) of honorific speech.  While the primary axis is usually plainly discernable, the extent of the ego, i.e. the persons and things humbled due to connection with the speaker, depends on context. In some situations (see below) it may be as large as the speaker's entire country, while in some other cases the country will be mentioned as a third party and not humbled, or even honorificated if the ambit of the current conversation permits. Generally, individuals connected by blood or marriage to the speaker is humbled before a non-relative, but the speaker's country and government are not usually humbled while speaking to a foreigner, unless the conversation focuses on nationalities.

While the primary axis establishes a strict hierarchy between the speaker and listener, other hierarchies, such as between parent and child, ruler and subject, employer and employee, etc., are also recognized honorifically, whether they are associated with the speaker or listener. These are called "secondary axes" (次旨). Generally speaking, a secondary honorific cannot be spoken of more highly than the primary (the listener). When a hierarchy associated with the listener places him in an inferior position relative to a third party, it is preferred to speak of the third party honorifically but not elevate him over the listener. In an extreme example, an ambassador usually calls his own country "the contemptible city" (敝邑) and his sovereign "the insignificant ruler" (寡小君) in order to elevate the listener and his country and/or ruler, but said ruler's act of giving to the ambassador will still be referred to honorifically; at least in formal situations, this honorific usage is done without respect to the listener's position.

Outside of the primary and secondary axes, certain persons, things, or things associated with them may be referred to "generally honorifically" (散旨). This is considered customary in speech and writing not directed towards any particular person. Sometimes these are called "absolute honorifics" in Dayashinese fashion, as they are honorificated even if not associated with the listener. In a way, general honorifics are a broader application of the secondary axes employed in conversations. Some Shinasthana speakers, particularly those not associated with Themiclesian culture, eschew general honorifics and observe only those connected to the speaker and listener.

Many etiquette manuals state that there are two main errors in Shinasthana honorifics—self-honorification and imposed honorification. Self-honorification occurs when the speaker, intentionally or unintentionally, honorificates himself or something clearly connected with him. Imposed honorification refers to the situation when a third referent is honorificated over the listener him/herself. Certain forms of writing like legislation, academic compositions, and newspaper articles use honorifics sparingly to indicate neutrality or objectivity; however, even in these contexts, words addressed to specific individuals are usually still honorofic, such as footnotes on an academic article or a solicitation for subscriptions on a newspaper.

Honorifics are usually absent in archaicizing writing, as they are absent in the oldest of documents and are not thought to be introduced until the 3rd c. CE.

General address

See also: Forms of address in Themiclesia

This section outlines the ways in which Shinasthana speakers in Themiclesia usually address their interlocutors.

Given name

Generally, it is considered highly impertinent to address one's listener by given name, or even infantilizing and insulting. The recognized exception is between parents and their own children before school age. Instead, Themiclesians generally use a person's courtesy name, which the listener has generally selected. In cultures that do not recognize courtesy names, using the listener's family name may be acceptable, though this is avoided in Themiclesia. However, it is not considered inappropriate to address a neutral third person by name, if not required to be honorificated, and addressing oneself or social inferiors associated with one by name is perceived as an act of humility.

There have been instances in Themiclesia where violence was provoked because a given name was used in public.

kjur with courtesy name

kjur (君) or its equivalents kjun, kur, and kun originally meant "lord, ruler" generally. In the second person, it is the most common courtesy title and can be applied to adults of any gender.

When attached to the listener's courtesy name, kjur indicates a moderate degree of respect appropriate for social peers and hierarchical or social juniors. For example, if the listener's courtesy name is sngrjar (山), he would be addressed as sngrjar-kjur (山君). In translation, kjur here is usually rendered as "Mr." or "Mrs.".

kjur with family name

When kjur is combined with the listener's family name, kjur indicates a moderate degree of respect for social or hierarchical superiors.

The use of kjur with the listener's courtesy name should be distinguished with the use with family names. The latter use derives from the titles of the heads of minor noble families, whose head enjoyed some powers over members of his extended family. While these two uses are probably connected, they are distinct in meaning. In this case, kjur can be rendered as "sir" or "madam" as required.

Courtesy name alone

Addressing a person by courtesy name alone is usually reserved for hierarchical juniors, such as between employer and employee. The lack of an explicit honorific can be perceived as hostile, but in other cases can signal intimacy between two individuals who is otherwise constrained by a more rigid relationship. For example, between a manager and two workers, a closer relationship is implied, at least theatrically, if the former addresses one by courtesy name only, and the other by courtesy name + kjur.

Addressing an unfamiliar person by courtesy name alone is rare in Themiclesia.

kjur alone

If the interlocutor's courtesy name is unknown, kjur can be used alone to replace the second person pronoun nja to provide expected honorification.

Pronoun

The pronoun nja′ (汝), meaning "you", is rarely used as such in Themiclesia. As honorification is expected, using nja′ directly can be perceived as crass and impolite, especially if the speaker has failed to ask for a person's name. However, nja′ is frequently encountered in archaicizing writing and generally means "you" in both singular and plural.

However, the pronoun neng (乃), meaning "your" is frequently used even in honorific speech to emphasize the genitive sense when other forms of address would result in ambiguity. This is because Shinasthana is an isolating language and nouns may be used genitivally in the correct context.

See also

• Themiclesia