vocative: Vocative

Definition

vocative refers to a sentence component used in conversational language to address the listener.

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Characteristics

• The vocative tag usually comes at the beginning of a sentence and is separate from the main part of the sentence.
• The vocative tag is generally composed of a noun or proper name, sometimes followed by particles such as ‘야’ or ‘아’, or honorific words like ‘-님’ or ‘-씨’. It specifically indicates that the noun is being used to directly address someone.
• Examples:
  • 빌리, 너 잘 지내고 있니?
  • 빌리 씨, 안녕하세요!

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Examples

• 친구야, 안녕?
• 폴아, 너 잘 지내고 있니?
• 부모님, 키워주셔서 감사합니다.
• 빌리 씨, 시간 있으면 파티에 참여해주세요!
• 여러분, 힘들어도 매일 운동해보십시오.