the questions of our times: formality and vampires

[rm]

This, thanks to a discussion started by weirdquark. Please do visit the comments where you will learn many things including the many ways formality is structured in different languages (something my questions did not fully take into account, and I apologize for that), werewolf pack dynamics considerations, and whether there are vampires in France.

[Poll #1601631]

Comments

[l33tminion]

Basically, being too casual (alternately too informal, too "close") is one way to be rude, but not the only way, and not the way you'd choose if you wanted to paint someone as "beneath" you.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Er...I think what you're trying to say is that there are *intimate* forms, which one wouldn't use, but that one would use an "I'm superior to you to the point that you're untouchable" form?

[l33tminion]

Yes, but the verb form in question is just the plain (dictionary) form.

As far as I can tell, you wouldn't use a different verb form to convey "you are below me" versus "you are above me", just different vocabulary. Unless you're issuing a direct command, then there's a lot of grammar affecting politeness.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Unless I'm entirely missing what you're saying, I think you're off the mark.

"Omae wa dare dai?" is not intimate. It's off the map of "anata wa dare desu ka" "anata wa dare deshou ka" "anata wa dare"

And then one can go off into "kore wa nani ka?" (speaking to self, refering to creature as non-human)