NOTES

In Kashmiri there are certain lexical items which function as 'attention catchers'. These may be used to attract the attention of a person. Not all of these are polite, but they still have a high frequency in colloquial Kashmiri. Note the following:

Masculine	Feminine	Ranking on the honorific scale	Status constraints	Religious constraints
		impolite, informal	addressee equal or lower
		impolite, informal	addressee equal or lower
		neutral	equal
		respectful	addressee equal or higher	addressee Hindu
		respectful	addressee equal or higher	addressee or addressor Muslim
		polite	addressee equal or higher
		polite	equal

Note that in Srinagar the use of   is more or less restricted to the speech of the older generation. Its place has been taken by the more frequent .

Examples:

In the above examples, (a) is unacceptable on the scale of politeness, and (c) may be termed extra-polite.

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