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Glite Dictionary
🙇 Showing respect 🙇 Addressing someone
allocutive

allocutive

9.9
A form used when speaking to someone that shows respect or their gender
  • noun
  • /ˌæl.əˈkjuː.tɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : allocutivo
  • In some languages, an allocutive form is required when speaking to elders to show respect.

Examples

  • Basque uses a special allocutive to distinguish between formal and informal speech.

  • The linguist explained how the allocutive changes depending on the gender of the person addressed.

  • The term allocutive is often used in linguistic studies.

  • In Japanese, the allocutive form shows respect to the listener.

  • In Japanese, an allocutive form is used to address teachers respectfully.

  • The allocutive in Latin varies according to the gender of the person being spoken to.

  • Many cultures have an allocutive that changes based on the status of the addressee.

Synonyms

form of address
vsallocutive
1 3.4

A way of speaking used when you talk to someone to show their title or relationship

expresses addressee person, gender, or social status through grammar not titles
vocative
vsallocutive
  • Specialized
9.9

A form of a name or word used when you call someone directly

marks the addressee's person, gender, or social status instead of only marking address

Surface Forms

allocutive singular
allocutives plural

Morphology

allocutive = allocution (opaque) = allocut + ive

The nominal sense is derived from the same Latinate stem plus -ive; the formation and meaning are specialized and not transparently inferable by typical learners.

Etymology

The word allocutive comes from Latin parts ad- 'to' and loqui 'to speak', the same 'speak' root you see in eloquent. So, as a noun an allocutive is a word form used to address someone directly and to show the listener's gender or whether you are being formal or informal.