Fluttering Semi-honorifics

Abstract This study presents the first systematic analysis of Fluttering Semi-honorifics (FS; seolleneun banjondae ), an emerging style-shifting practice among young Korean speakers. Drawing on interviews, a two-step elicitation experiment, and a brief survey, it examines FS in terms of linguistic form, usage context, and pragmatic function. FS involves multi-sentential alternation between honorific and non-honorific endings, most often shifting from Polite to Intimate. Lexical honorifics and the suffix -si- are rarely used, and Plain forms appear mainly in self-directed speech. FS typically occurs in relationships that are close but not fully intimate, often when younger men address older women. Pragmatically, it reduces social distance while maintaining politeness and manages age or gender asymmetries through confident familiarity. Unlike downward shifts used for rudeness or submission, FS functions as an affiliative strategy that reinterprets honorific hierarchy to reflect changing ideals of intimacy and gender relations in Korea.