The Relationship of Interlocutors and the Use of Address terms in Modern Chinese ความสัมพันธ์ของคู่สนทนากับการใช้คำเรียกขานภาษาจีน ในสมัยปัจจุบัน

Abstract

This article aims to present the relationship of Interlocutors and the use of Address terms in modern Chinese, applying Pragmatic theory which states that people use language to do things, and use language differently depending on the situation they are in. The purpose of research is therefore to find out the use of Chinese address terms based on three factors: gender, social status and degrees of intimacy, and emotions between interlocutors. The samples of Chinese address terms in this research were collected from eighteen Chinese tv series on WeTv app (2018-2021). The results were found as follows; 1) Gender factor not only influenced the forms of Chinese address, but also influenced the choice of address terms. 2) Social status and degrees of intimacy are two factors influencing the choice of Chinese address terms. The speakers address intimate interlocutors who have the equal or lower social status by their’s “Name”. In contrast, the speakers used “Position/Status/Career” and “Male/Female address term” to address persons of higher social status or older person. 3) Emotional factor, Chinese people used the similar forms of address when they feel normal, sad or fear, but they used “Other Nouns” to address addressee when they feel happy or angry.