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In:Beyond Binaries in Address Research: Politeness and identity practices in interaction
Edited by Víctor Fernández-Mallat and María Irene Moyna
[Topics in Address Research 6] 2025
► pp. 220–241

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Chapter 10
“Stop measuring egos”

Finding a middle ground between discernment and volition in European Portuguese

Published online: 17 July 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/tar.6.10far
Abstract
Forms of address in European Portuguese (EP) extend beyond the traditional T/V distinction, incorporating second person (2P) and third person (3P) nominal, pronominal, and verb pro-drop forms. This study examines metapragmatic comments on EP address extracted from Reddit — an online forum known for its diverse user-generated content. These comments are analyzed as stance acts reflecting either volition (individual strategies), discernment (adherence to established traditions), or a compromise between these two extremes. The data reveal a prevalent noncommittal stance that avoids strictly adhering to T or V forms. Instead, there is a tendency towards interpersonal equality in address selection, using 3P pro-drop and the pronouns você and tu, though this is countered by the extant complexity of status-based, deferential address.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Forms of address in EP: (Im)politeness, metapragmatic discourse, and stance
  • 3.Data and methodology
    • 3.1Data and corpus
    • 3.2Methodology
  • 4.Analysis
    • 4.1Anti-você and pro-você
    • 4.2Pro-tu and anti-tu
    • 4.3Pro-3P and anti-3P
    • 4.4Pro-nominal forms and anti-nominal forms
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
References (56)
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