To have it handy

[flemmings]

Courtesy i_am_zan someone's thinky entry on Chinese honorifics. As I said to Zan, my Japanese half-speaker's instincts revolt at the notion of a polite 2nd person pronoun, suitable for use to Emperors-- and one that's so close to the ordinary 2nd person pronoun at that.

Comments

[paleaswater.livejournal.com]

Chinese keigo of the form she's speaking of is not really the same as Japanese keigo, because it's not based so much on the formality of the situation as based on the level of education of the speaker. Nowadays of course anything goes, but in the past when words like 贵庚 were actually used only scholars spoke that way, but they would use it in all situations where they would ask the question. Like wise an uneducated person would say 几岁了 in all situations.

Not sure about which second person pronoun you're referring to. As far as I know you don't refer to the emperor using a pronoun, just like in English. It's always 陛下 or one of the many other equivalents

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

This pronoun- 您. What I took to be the old-ish eunuch servant of Uncle Ming's Emperor in 江山风雨情 kept calling him that as Uncle Ming was dying.

[paleaswater.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see. Only eunuchs who are also body servants can do this. Eunuchs adopt a peculiarly intimate and fawn form of address with those they serve. No one else can do it, including royal offsprings.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

I am very relieved to hear this. The world continues to unfold as it should.