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Titles as vocatives
Title vocatives are kinds of predicates that are often ad hoc vocative
applications and are seldom repeated. According to Combrink (1982:13) Afrikaansspeaking
people qualify for various types oftitles because ofgender and noble descent
(lady, lord), gender and age (meneer- sir), gender and primarily family relationship
(ouma-grandma, oom- uncle, pa-father) gender and mental status (mevrou- missus,
mejuffrou- miss) academic achievement or profession (doktor-doctor,) etc. Those
vocatives are used in a formal situation.
However, in Afrikaans titles and job designations are also used as vocatives
with people who do not qualif'y. Such applications are always expressive and they are
used in an infonnal situation e.g. little brother admonishing big brother oftwelve years.
Nicknames as vocatives
Nicknames in Afrikaans are, according to Combrink (1982:12) used
referentially and behind the back of the person referred to. They explicitly say
something about the person's origin or where he comes from, where he lives, his
physical and spiritual characteristics, clothes, weaknesses, occupation, what he usually
says and his actions. They also say something about a specific incident in the person's
life or about the name of a woman's spouse. If the nickname is used in an insulting
manner and the person referred to incidentally or otherwise hears it, it usually has
unpleasant consequences for the speaker. When used as a vocative, such names are
hurting and belittling. A man is called "Garing" because he is tall and slender. Garing
means "thread, yarn." A woman is called "Sarie Stoffel" because her husband is Stoffel
Harmse.