Acquisition of Honorifics in Hindi: A Sociolinguistic Competence

The Hindi honorifics system works according to a complex set of pragmatic rules. Its morphological representation is present in nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs. It reflects intertwined relationships among individuals based on formality, familiarity, age, familial relationships, social status, caste and other social factors. Whilst the T-V distinction in most of the languages manifest itself in the use of the second person pronoun only, these distinctions are extended to the use of the third person pronoun and, to a certain extent, the first person pronoun in Hindi. This adds to the complexity in its acquisition by a foreign language learner of Hindi. The ability to make the T-V distinction, while speaking with a native Hindi speaker, is imperative for Hindi as foreign language (HFL) students to enact in culture-sensitive communicative competence. If used incorrectly, a HFL learner might give a misleading signal of his own personality or culture that could cease the opportunity for him to assimilate himself into the target society through language. This article offers detailed analyses of the Hindi honorifics system, its significance and culturally appropriate use. The article will also offer some suggestions for its acquisition by foreign language learners.