Foreign students often think that English is a simple language. "Look how easy it is to address somebody in English," they say. "There's only one word - 'you'. In my language it's more difficult.

The fact that the English language has only one form "you" doesn't mean that Englishmen see no difference between friends, people they don't know, people they respect and so on.

For example: "What time is it, John?" can become: "Excuse me, could you tell me the time, please? if addressed to a person you don't know. Here is another example. A woman in a shop suddenly feels unwell and is helped to a chair. Her husband may ask: "Are you all right, dear?" A person who doesn't know her may say: "Are you all right?" And the shop owner may ask: "Are you all right, madam?"

The English address system has intimate, neutral and polite forms.

There are many different intimate vocatives. Among these there is the person's first name. Other intimate vocatives are "dear", "love", "old boy", "old man", etc. The word "old" here doesn't really mean old. It simply shows you're friendly to a person.

It is difficult to give the rules which explain the use of the vocatives. The use of no vocative at all, as in "Are you all right?", is easier to explain. It is neutral.

A polite vocative is used to show some special respect. The polite vocatives are "madam" or "sir" , "Mrs Smith" or "Mr Smith", "ladies and gentlemen". There are many other polite vocatives, for example, professional words such as "Doctor", "Professor" and so on.

So the question of addressing a person in English is not so simple as it seems to be. Pay attention to these vocatives when you are speaking to an Englishman or reading an English dialogue. They are strange words, but are very important for you.


LI 3.9.25