In linguistics, allocutive agreement (abbreviated or) refers to a morphological feature in which the gender of an addressee is marked overtly in an utterance using fully grammaticalized markers[1] even if the addressee is not referred to in the utterance.[2] The term was first used by Louis Lucien Bonaparte in 1862.[3]
See also Basque verbs: Familiar forms and allocutive indices (hika).In Basque, allocutive forms are required in the verb forms of a main clause when the speaker uses the familiar (also called "intimate") pronoun Basque: hi "thou" (as opposed to formal Basque: zu "you").[1] This is distinct from grammatical gender as it does not involve marking nouns for gender; it is also distinct from gender-specific pronouns, such as English "he/she" or Japanese ("I", used by males) and ("I", used by females). In Basque, allocutive agreement involves the grammatical marking of the gender of the addressee in the verb form itself.
Grammatically this is done by introducing an additional person marker in the verb form (marked):
versus
Eastern dialects have expanded on this by adding the polite (formerly plural) pronoun Basque: zu to the system; in some, hypocoristic palatalization converts this to Basque: -xu:
| Level | "I'll go" | "you'll go" |
|---|---|---|
| Polite | Basque: joanen niz | Basque: joanen zira |
| Intermed. | Basque: joanen nuzu/nuxu | Basque: joanen xira |
| Familiar, masc. | Basque: joanen nuk | Basque: joanen hiz |
| Familiar, fem. | Basque: joanen nun |
Some varieties have done away with the unmarked forms except in subordinate clauses: Basque: joanen nuk / nun / nuzu vs. Basque: joanen nizela 'that I go'
Its use is diminishing, especially the feminine forms.
Basque speakers who use allocutive agreement sometimes apply the masculine forms to women, making Basque: hika a genderless marker of solidarity.[4]
Beja, a Cushitic language, has allocutive forms, marking the gender of a masculine addressee with the clitic =a and with =i for feminine addressees: