The Study of Honorifics Types in Middle Persian

Language is one of the means of communication of people in society. Linguistic communication, as one of the most important roles of language, shows the relationships between people. The concept of politeness as a socio-cognitive factor, indicates the social distance between individuals. This concept is manifested by different tools in communication between people. One of these tools is honorifics. People in the society use forms of honorifics to specify situations and social standings of participants and speakers. Shibatani (2006) places honorifics in Japanese in four classes; “referent honorifics”, “addressee honorifics”, “avoidance languages” ​​and “beautification”. In most languages, referent honorifics are used more often than other types of honorifics, and among the types of referent honorifics, subject honorifics are used more than humbling honorifics and non-subject honorifics. In this study, four classes of honorifics in Middle Persian have been examined according to this framework. According to studies, in Middle Persian, as well as in Japanese, referent honorifics are the most widely used. In addition to the Shibatani classes, metaphors and similes, the adjective honorifics of the speaker and the benedictory honorifics can also be added to the group of Middle Persian honors