ABSTRACT
Words on a page cannot describe fully the background to the terms given. Only experience can tell the foreigner how to use the terms freely. A start may be made on those expressions which are almost entirely unambiguous, being addressed to people whose status is known, and being, in most cases, meant literally. (yaa, the vocative, is invariable and has none of the quaint old-fashioned sound of ‘O . . .’ in English. Exclamation marks and ‘O . . .’ are omitted in the translation into English.)
The column ‘Used to’ below is as accurate a guide as possible, but there may be overlap with other usage.
