The way we address one another – the use of second-person pronouns such as English ‘you’, first names, last names and titles – is crucial in marking social relations and is critical to human relationships. As Joseph (1989) points out, address usage encodes the relationship and attitudes of interlocutors perhaps to a greater extent than other aspects of language and is thus more open to cultural variation. It reflects cultural values and acts as an indicator of major social and political changes that affect human relationships and social networks. The study of address systems and rules thus not only has significance for linguistics but also informs research into social structures and social change.

Address across languages

This book, based on empirical data, examines changes in the address systems of three western European languages, French, German and Swedish, and to a more limited extent English. It explores the impact on these systems of sociopolitical changes and events, particularly since the 1960s. The 1960s were an important turning point not only in Europe but also in the Americas and Asia. The spirit of the time was one of social revolt and oppositional politics, which differed from country to country.