It is quite interesting how the reading for this week covered something I have always wondered about. In Nepal social class has a lot to do with how people speak. People in higher class often tend to speak politely and use the polite version, where as people in lower class often tend to speak the impolite version. Similarly, women are often required to use the polite version while speaking to men, where as men can speak as they wish. I always wondered how social standing creates differences in the way people speak.
The book explains how social standing plays a role in the way people speak. The author writes, “people exercise several roles: they have a particular status in their family (head of family), and another in their place of work (supervisor)… Each position will carry with it certain linguistic conventions such as distinctive mode of address… During the average lifetime, people learn many such linguistic behaviors”
In Nepal, the lower class- Vaisyas, Sudhras and Dalits are often heard talking in impolite version of the language. They use the words such as Ta instead of Hajur for you, Ja instead of Gaisyo for go while speaking. So, it was automatically assumed that people speaking in such a manner are lower class people. Children from the higher class were not allowed to play with them or even it next to them because of the fear of being corrupted. While, the higher class people – Brahmin, Chettri used words such as Sutsyo instead of Sut for Sleep, padhsyo instead of pad for study. They were automatically assumed to be higher class and were respected in the society. Although the way people speak has changed significantly over the years, the general idea of people towards the difference in speech is the same – impolite way of speaking is often associated with the lower class and polite way is associated with the higher class.
Another important thing as the author mentions in the book is the Gender and the role it plays in the Nepali society. As a male-orientated society, Nepal still falls behind in equality between men and women and this particular aspect can clearly be seen in the tone of a person. A woman is never allowed to speak in a impolite version. She is always asked to talk in polite version especially to the family of her husband. However, the men can speak as he wishes. He can use the impolite or the polite version. Although this particular trend is changing in Nepal, it still exists in rural part of Nepal.
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