4 ms·
Yeah I read the whole thing and still didn't quite get it. It's almost like the article was written by someone trying to be meta about avoidance speech, trying
by perryizgr8 4y ago
Yeah I read the whole thing and still didn't quite get it. It's almost like the article was written by someone trying to be meta about avoidance speech, trying to avoid explaining it in any clear manner.
- nerdbert 4y agoMaybe their mother-in-law's name starts with a key linguistic or sociological term that it can't be explained without using.
- meepmorp 4y agoI’m somewhat familiar with how the avoidance register works in Walpiri, and the switch is solely based on the social relationship, not the names involved. It’s a fairly complex sub-language - there’s a different set of words that get used only for the avoidance register or are very generic terms from standard speech, and the grammar is simplified. The pronunciation is also shifted a bit, iirc (I want to say it uses creaky voice, but I’m not sure).