Slovene Ultra-Formal Address: Borrowing, Innovation, and Analysis

Slovene has a system of address that differs from the basic binary address system of many European languages by grammatically distinguishing up to four levels of formality (informal, semiformal, formal, and ultra-formal). Until recently, ultra-formal address was regularly used in direct as well as indirect address (i.e., reference to absent persons). Although the grammatical characteristics of Slovene ultra-formal address (3rd plural) appear to have been the result of contact with German, the Slovene application of this form to indirect address appears to have been an independent innovation. Anton Tomaž Linhart’s play Županova Micka is analyzed in order to explore and illustrate the interaction of these various address forms. Similar studies of ultra-formal address in other languages (e.g., Czech and Slovak) could shed light on a phenomenon that has been attested in multiple Slavic languages.