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Tu and Usted: Address Etiquette in the Mexican American Family

University of Arizona

This article explores variability in the use of the second person singular addressforms ti and usted as reported by 108 Spanish-speaking adult U.S.-born Mexican Americans from Tucson, Arizona. Variations of td and usted were probed with respect to social characteristics of the respondent, age, and gender; and by three social contexts representing increasing kinship or social distance: nuclear family, extended family, and ceremonial (compadrazgo) family domains. Findings reveal an overall decrease in tW usage as the kinship or social distance of thefamily group increases. Younger male and female respondents (ages 17 to 30 and 31 to 50 years) report giving and receiving ti most often; the oldest respondents (51 + years), the least. The middle group shows the most Wi usage in ceremonial relationships. Females report ti more often than males in the nuclear and extendedfamily domains, but report usted more often in the ceremonial family domain. Findings signal a shift toward increased usage of td in pronominal address within kinship circles.

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 18, No. 4, 522-532 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/07399863960184006


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