Hi, I was wondering, how do you 'show respect' in your languages when talking to older people. In Afrikaans we call older people 'oom' and 'tannie' which literary translated means 'Uncle and Aunt' - but is used with people who are not related to you as well
This is used by most Afrikaners, as we are taught that it is a sign of respect. In English the only equivalant that I can find is to say mister or miss, mrs but can't be used in all situations. In English we'll just say you.
What I'm wondering is in other languages like Dutch, German which are closer to Afrikaans, do you have something similar to Oom and Tannie, or do you just say 'you'.
I hope that that was clear enough, Andre if you're reading this, maybe you can clarify it.
It's also traditional, specially in the countryside, to call old people "uncle" or "aunt" in Catalan and Castilian Spanish.
Catalan: oncle, tia
Castilian Spanish: tio, tia
It has to be followed by their Christian name: Oncle Joan, Tia Maria.
This tradition is dying out in the bigger cities and it is less popular now than it used to be only a generation or two ago.
Thanks Jordi
Here it is also followed by their Christian names:
Ex - Oom Kobus, Tannie Mina
Many people still use it here, the only thing that has changed is that it used to be the norm to call anybody who are ten years or older than you oom and tannie, now it's more for people fifteen to twenty years older - or that has been my experience.
Here it is more people who are your grand parents generation (+60).
Them we just call the oumense ;)
Oumense - Old people
(But never to there faces, that'll be considered very disrespectful)
Snipsa I think that what you said in your frist posting is nice. Calling everyone aunt and uncle.
Thanks Joel, we try to be respectful. That's why it's sometimes difficult talking to older English people, you can't call them Aunt or Uncle. They'll think that I'm even weirder than I already am.
Grandfather = grootvader
Grandmother = grootmoeder
Granpa = opa
Granma = oma
Uncle = oom (ome)
Aunt = tante
Great grandfather = overgrootvader
Great grandmother = overgrootmoeder (opoe)
Oudere,bejaarden,oude vandagen,65plusser. all mean old people.
In the Philippines we show respect to everyone who is older than we are, including our elder brothers, sisters, cousins, and their peers.
grandparents and their peers: lolo; lola
parents' peers: tiyo, tito, uncle; tiya, tita, auntie
older siblings, cousins, and their peers: kuya; ate
We also use the word 'po' to show respect. Example:
oo (yes) -> opo
hindi (no) -> hindi po
salamat (thank you) -> salamat po
unfortunately that is slowly disappearing especially in the cities because some older people don't like it anymore
another habit we have is replacing jy/jou/u in a sentence with the title of the person you are addressing if its someone who is somehow your "superior" (for lack of a better word)
eg. Meneer, kan ek vir meneer koffie bring? (Sir, may I bring sir some coffee?)
Tannie, kan ek vir tannie koffie bring? (Aunt, may I bring Aunt some coffee?)
Sounds silly in English, but works in Afrikaans.
This is basically, I would say, because it is considered disrespectful to address such a person with jy and jou (you), while u is very formal.
=>another habit we have is replacing jy/jou/u in a sentence with the title of the person you are addressing if its someone who is somehow your "superior" (for lack of a better word)<=
we do that too Andre! ;)
ah cool so we got it from you ;) didn't know that have to admit
I just say "excuse me" if I need to draw their attention and then continue on in normal "you" fashion. In America it is possible in some areas or contexts to say things like "ma'am"/"sir," but you have to be careful, because some people, especially older people, are offended by those because you're using a different form with them ("singling them out") and they don't like the distinction--mostly because it implies you think they're old. We were raised to avoid using address forms like "ma'am/sir" if at all possible, because it's usually not necessary, and often creates more social awkwardness than it supposedly helps (I'm not speaking for all regions...I'm just talking about here). My mom is not sensitive about her age at all (she's in her late 40s) but I think she dislikes being called things like "ma'am" because it sounds weird, and it creates an artificial sense of distance.
This is all assuming I don't know the person--most old people I know or have met insist I call them by their first names, as that is the norm here. In fact, the only times I really hear people use "Mr./Ms./Mrs." in a normal social setting (besides with teachers) is when they forget the person's first name, and it becomes painfully obvious when they make the awkward move of introducing someone by "Mr./Ms./Mrs." (then last name) when that normally wouldn't be called for. The last time I was visiting my family, I walked into the kitchen and my mom had just gotten off the phone with an acquaitance (I believe my sister's friend's mom), and was slightly annoyed--"She forgot my name again...she called me by my last name!"