Informal Address Practices among University Students in Sri Lanka: A Case Study

The use of address terms within communication settings across divergent cultures is a core determinant of understanding the essential correspondence between language and society. Informed by Brown and Gilman’s prominent seminal study on the pronouns of power and solidarity (1960), various research studies have been conducted to explore the sociolinguistic dimensions as observed in the address practices employed by specific communities belonging to different cultures. However, there is a notable dearth of sociolinguistic research on the significance of the terms of address used within the Sri Lankan context, and while addressing this research gap, the present study attempts to investigate the informal address strategies used among Sri Lankan university undergraduates, specifically with regards to their interactions governed by solidarity behaviours. Primary data required for the study were collected from a survey questionnaire directed to a sample of 35 undergraduates (response rate: 74%) studying in a specific faculty of a state university in Sri Lanka and the research methodology involves the grounded theory of qualitative approach and thematic analysis. The reported key findings of the study encompass the following address categories: prosoponyms, appellatives, ‘campus cards’, kinship terms, honorifics, and compound phrases. These informal address terms governed by solidarity are further characterized by the individuality, variety and creativity of university cultures, and exhibit a wide range of unique uses that are highly receptive to multicultural, intercultural, and sub-cultural variations. As such, they reflect the sociocultural specificities and attitudinal viewpoints of the interlocutors, showcasing the adaptability and fluidity of address strategies in communication within Sri Lankan university contexts.