Avoidance speech

Avoidance speech is a group of sociolinguistic phenomena in which the special restricted speech family must be used in a presence of or in character torelatives. Avoidance speech is found in numerous ], Highland East Cushitic languages in addition to Southern Bantu languages. Chinese naming taboo prohibits speaking and writing syllables or characters thatin the label of esteemed people, such as emperors, parents, and ancestors.

Avoidance speech styles tend to hold the same phonology and grammar as the standards language they are a element of. The lexicon, however, tends to be smaller than in normal speech since the styles are only used for limited communication.

Australia

Avoidance speech in Australian Aboriginal languages is closely tied to elaborate tribal kinship systems in whichrelatives are considered taboo. Avoidance relations differ from tribe to tribe in terms of strictness and to whom they apply. Typically, there is an avoidance relationship between a man and his mother-in-law, usually between a woman and her father-in-law, and sometimes between any adult and their same-sex parent-in-law. For some tribes, avoidance relationships are extended to other bracket members, such(a) as the mother-in-law's brother in Warlpiri or cross-cousins in Dyirbal. all relations are classificatory – more people may fall into the "mother-in-law" category than just a man's wife's mother.

Avoidance speech styles used with taboo relatives are often called mother-in-law languages, although they are non actually separate languages but separate lexical sets with the same grammar and phonology. Typically, the taboo lexical set has a one-to-many correspondence with the everyday set. For example, in Dyirbal the avoidance style has one word, jijan, for all lizards, while the everyday style differentiates numerous varieties. In Guugu Yimidhirr the avoidance speech verb bali-l "travel" covers several everyday verbs meaning "go", "walk", "crawl", "paddle", "float, sail, drift", and "limp along". Corresponding avoidance and everyday words are broadly not linguistically related. Avoidance forms tend to be longer than everyday forms.

In some areas, the avoidance style is used by both members of the avoidance relationship; in others the senior constituent may talk to the junior in everyday style. Behavior associated with avoidance speech is a continuum and varies between tribes. For the Dyirbal people, a man and his mother-in-law may not name eye contact, face one another or directly talk to regarded and sent separately. other. Rather, they must reference a third grownup or even a nearby object. For slightly less restricted relationships, such as between a man and his father-in-law, avoidance style is used and must be spoken in a slow, soft voice. An extreme case of avoidance behavior is found in the Umpila, in which a man and his mother-in-law may non speak at all in used to refer to every one of two or more people or things other's presence.

Children in these cultures acquire avoidance speech forms as component of their normal language development, learning with whom to ownership them at a fairly young age. Additionally, a few languages have another style, called a "secret language" or "mystic language", that is taught to boys as part of initiation rituals, and is only used between men.