Pragmatics: Tu vs Vous

Historical use of 'tu' and 'vous':

• The original T/V distinction was a reflection of power
• When used non-reciprocally, the person with power used 'tu' and the person without it used 'vous'
• Non reciprocal use 
• e.g. Older -> younger = tu
• e.g. Younger -> older = vous
• e.g. Noble -> Peasant = tu
• e.g. Peasant -> Noble = vous 
• Reciprocal use was for equals in power
• Noble classes used vous for each other
• Common people used tu 
• The choice of pronoun can indicate solidarity, degrees of closeness and intimacy
• These days a reciprocal relationship is reflected in reciprocal pronoun use
• Powerful people with no shared common ground will use 'vous', but with common ground they will use 'tu'

Conflict in choice:

• Sometimes there is a conflict between people's level of solidarity and the power dynamics of their relationship
• e.g. in a parent/child relationship
• this is a solidarity relationship but it is also power bound 
• in the past, they would have had a non reciprocal relationship
• these days solidarity is more important than power displays
• the more powerful individual decides on the use of tu or vous

 Social factors:

•  Politically radical individuals are more likely to use the tu form 
• rural children are more likely to use a non reciprocal vous form with adults
• Urban children are more likely to use a reciprocal tu form with adults
• Gender - familiar male adults will use reciprocal vous with teenage girls, non reciprocal tu with younger girls and non reciprocal tu with boys of all ages

Discourse: Pragmalinguistics

Pragmalinguistics:

• The link between form and function
• form - the linguistic elements/structures used to complete a speech act
• e.g. the imperative is used for command, a negated modal is used for requests

Sociopragmatics: 

•  Mapping form and function of linguistic elements to the appropriate social context
• e.g. donne moi vs donnez moi
• the choice is based on the question of politeness, formality, prestige, age, situation and the number of people

Politeness Theory and Face:

• 'Face' is the positive social value a person effectively claims
• i.e. how you present yourself and how you are perceived 
• Positive Face serves the purposes of:
• Enhancement of positive self image
• Preserving one's own face
• Intimate behaviour - showing social closeness
• Negative Face serves the purpose of: 
• Non imposition on the hearer
• Preserves the hearer's face 
• Achieving distance, in order to demonstrate respect

Face Threatening Act:

•  An act which endangers either one's own image or somebody else's
• e.g. requests - can be viewed as showing weakness, opening oneself up to rejection (Positive Face) or imposing on the hearer (negative Face)
• French and English have similar language use for requests - designed to reduce the threat to face
• the presumption of rejection so as not lose face in the event 
• FTAs are communicative acts that do not respect either the hearer's need for space (negative face) or the speaker's desire to uphold their own self image (Positive face) or both 

Choices in FTA Performance:

• Every time we are confronted with an FTA we face a choice whether or not to perform it