In the framework of Grassroot Diplomat
In today’s world, globalization poses unique challenges to the issue of how people from diverse cultural backgrounds confront obstacles when communicating. Communication is a social process, which is influenced by interpersonal relationships based on philosophical foundations and value orientations. The need for effective communication in combination with cultural awareness, sensitivity, and understanding, form honorifics which act as a window through which we can view what is valued in a particular culture. Cultural values are unconscious shared ideas, beliefs, and norms, which are established by a specific society. They have a direct impact on the number and use of honorifics in a language. Honorifics are linguistic forms of politeness, which create asymmetric relationships among the speakers. It is an ‘expression or title, used to show respect for the person you are speaking to’. And, when you happen not to know how to address a high-rank person which is very important for your country, this can certainly affect the cross-cultural perception and gradually result in a negative response during small talks or official negotiations.
Another example is when you ‘Imagine, you are the government and you are receiving dignitaries from France, Italy, Spain, China or Japan but your flower girl has a Chrysanthemums to present to them not knowing that these flowers are only used for funerals in these countries.’ These ‘small’ slip-ups led Ms. Benine Muriithi, who is a member of the Protocol Diplomacy Institution in Kenya, start Toriah Group - a consulting firm specializing in diplomatic protocol, working with the UN for 10 years. Ms. Muriithi is certain that the health of the relationship between countries or entities is all about protocol. ‘Well, they may seem small, insignificant gaffes but you will find they often have very huge implications on the message that you send to the other party and the outcome of the engagement,’ she says, adding, ‘there was a huge gap in observing international protocol and diplomatic conduct in Kenya.’ Ms. Muriithi says: ‘I just thought to myself, there is something amiss and there is an urgent need for the government and even businesses that trade on a global scale to plug these holes.’ These tiny particles form a huge family of Protocol and Etiquette worldwide, where each country has its own set of rules and custom standards. Taking on a more significant role in the global landscape, one cannot afford not to know these customs.
One of the fundamental tools for communicating with someone knowing what to call them in verbal and written communication. The purpose of names, titles, and forms of address is to help us know how to refer to someone when:
- Speaking directly to them in conversation;
- Speaking about the person as in a platform introduction;
- Writing to them: names in an address on an envelope and letter salutations;
- Preparing place cards, name badges, and table tent cards.
- Titles: In everyday usage, a ‘title’ can be several different things: a functional or professional job description (ambassador, consul general, admiral, CEO), an honor that has been bestowed (perhaps a knighthood), a position in the nobility that has been inherited (duke, earl, baron), or a sign of respect (Don/Doña).
- Honorific: an ‘honorific’ in the United States usually means a polite form of address used to show respect. It can indicate the individual’s office, rank, or profession. We know and use some honorifics regularly, like Mr., Mrs., Ms., Madam, Dr., Senator, Professor, Reverend… These can indicate a person’s gender, marital status, or profession.
- Courtesy Title: these are titles extended by custom as a courtesy to recognize persons of some distinction usually high-ranking officials. They are used by others to address those who are entitled to the courtesy title and not by the individual when referring to himself. The most common include the Honorable, His/Her Excellency, the Right Honourable, etc.
Here we note: In the United Kingdom, ‘courtesy title’ can have a slightly different and more technical meaning. Debrett’s, an authority on British etiquette and tradition, defines a courtesy title as ‘a title such as Lord, Lady or The Honorable, which is usually borne by the sons, daughters, daughters-in-law, brothers, sisters, and sisters-in-law of a peer.’ As briefly described by Debrett’s, the Peerage is a hierarchy of titles of various ranks conferred by the Sovereign upon his or her subjects. There is no equivalent in the United States.
Traditionally honorifics are attributed to Asian culture for certain reasons. Moreover, playing socio-linguistic roles in Asian languages for hundreds of years, their role in society continues into the modern era:
- As a sign of respect to the elders; Asian culture considers teachers and elders as very respected members of the society and as the leaders who shape the future generation.
- To indirectly indicate the rank of a senior member of a household; Using an honorific allows a family member to point guests to the implicit seniority of a member of the household.
- To show affection; Honorifics are not always about hierarchy, they are also about showing affection to those one looks up to.
- As an expression of politeness; Sometimes, people use honorifics with colleagues or family simply to be polite.
In the Japanese language, honorifics are usually attached as a suffix. They are gender-neutral and indicate the speaker’s ‘position’ and his relationship to the addressee. The word ‘honorific’ here is very important: it is the key to understanding this complex communication system. Japan uses an important hierarchy, based on criteria like age or social status.
Formal Japanese Honorifics
1. – sama
- The most formal honorific suffix is -sama, and it’s used for God (kami-sama) and royalty (ohime-sama).
- You can also use -sama to flatter people or to be sarcastic. For instance, if you attach the suffix to the slang male term for ‘I’ (ore) to create ore-sama, this basically means ‘my royal self.’
- Although this formal honorific is not often used in conversation (except for sarcasm), you will commonly hear it in movies, shows, and song lyrics.
2. -san
- The most common formal honorific is -san, and it translates (approximately) to Ms. and Mr..
- The Japanese san suffix is used among peers and in public settings, like offices or schools (unlike in the United States, coworkers, and fellow students usually refer to each other formally). It’s also used for acquaintances.
- When in doubt, use the Japanese san suffix. It’s the safest way to address someone with respect, without going overboard.
Koreans use honorifics because the culture is hierarchical, where age and status play a big part. That is one of the reasons why you will frequently hear Koreans ask your age when they first meet you, they are trying to determine where you fit in on the hierarchy (Korean age is different than international age, by the way). Additionally, Korean honorifics can be used to indicate how close you are to someone. So, when you first meet someone, they might use honorific terms to show both respect and lack of familiarity. Then as you get to know each other, they will use fewer or different honorifics and more terms to show that you are closer. All these factors are reflected in the way someone speaks, which creates a more or less formal language.
For example, in African countries the picture is relatively different. In countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia political and parliamentary office holders are addressed as ‘Honourable’. Others choose to maintain them even after they are out of office. However, why is this so important? In the countries, everyone can be a queen, a president, a doctor, honorable, etc. Really, magic. However, it is neither hereditary nor for special merit, but rather for social status. When Nigeria’s Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha who came under attack for honoring South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma with a chieftaincy title and a statue, was asked why he explained that it was necessary to honor people so that ‘children yet unborn can know about them. History is dying in Africa, we must keep it alive.’ In the United States, as being mentioned above, the title ‘Honourable’ is used to refer to sitting members of Congress, Cabinet officials, and federal judges which is a legal title referring to the country’s official.
‘In Ghana, the district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives are ‘honourables’, of course the members of parliament, current and past are ‘honourables’ and when I became a minister of state in the government, I found out I was an ‘honourable’. It wasn't just a title, it became my name, as in: ‘Good morning, honourable’; ‘How are you, honourable?’; ‘Where are you going, honourable?’; … the president of our republic gave vent to a full-scale tirade to remind all citizens of Ghana he was the only president in town and warned off all would-be pretenders to his throne. Of course he was sadly mistaken,’ explains Ghanaian writer and former government minister Elizabeth Ohene. We can meet such excessive use of titles in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda with some alterations. For example, in Zambia titles are mostly given to rich people by poor who want to please them to gain favors, like everyone who sees to have some money is addressed as ‘boss’ or ‘muzungu’.
In the South African Republic, with effect from 1 June 1985, a decision was taken by Cabinet that no person in office should bear the title ‘Honourable’, with the exception of judges, who are addressed as ‘Your Honourable.’ The term ‘Honourable’ is only used for judicial leaders, as well as by the Members of Parliament whilst in session. The term ‘Your Excellency’ may be used for Foreign Ministers / Ambassadors. The term ‘Your Worship’ is used for Executive Mayors.
When addressing the King we refer as His Majesty:
- The King may be addressed as follows: - His Majesty, the King; - His Majesty; - Isilo; - Ingonyama; - Hlangalomhlabathi; - Isilo Samabandla;
- It is forbidden to refer to His Majesty, the King, by his first name or names;
- The term ‘Royal Highness’ is commonly used when referring to the Queens and other members of the Royal Family.
When addressing the Head of State of the Republic of South Africa we refer as His Excellency, President (Name)
- The President can be addressed as follows: - Mr. President; - Honourable President (name); - The Honourable President of the Republic of South Africa (Name); - His Excellency, President (name).
Respect of protocol and implementation of its rules is important in public and international life. Knowing these skills can ensure whether official (or unofficial) occasions, visits, meetings, and functions are planned and conducted in accordance with a set of rules that are formally, socially, and culturally accepted and expected by the parties involved. This is an indispensable part of diplomatic practice during negotiations, as it primarily shows your respect towards that country and its cultural traditions. However, without specialized training and experience, it can be intimidating and difficult to grasp. Daily, we communicate with people who may have different titles and come from different countries or cultural backgrounds. That’s why forms of address and the proper use of titles and names are so important in diplomatic protocol.
Some helpful hints for further research on forms of address in any other country
1. Considering the culture. The rules often vary by culture. Names may be formatted or structured differently. For example, in some Asian countries, like China, we write the family name first, followed by the person’s given name. In many Latin American countries, the family name is composed of both the father’s and mother’s family name. Still in other cultures, family names are not used at all, and in others, women may keep their maiden names even after marriage.
2. Consulting with the key individuals or their staff. When in doubt, especially for senior business or government leaders, always confirm or ask the dignitary’s office, staff, or even the dignitary herself, what is appropriate. Sometimes your usage of title and form of address may be absolutely correct, but the individual may have a different personal preference. So when in doubt, ask. This will save you stress and uncomfortable situations.
3. Researching titles when working globally. Even when titles seem equivalent, they may not be. The president of an organization in one country may be the equivalent to the board chair in another. To understand the person’s responsibilities, find the appropriate equivalent, and translate carefully. Some titles, like the Spanish ‘licenciado’, may not have equivalents, in which case discuss with your counterparts and decide how to address.
Sources
- Addressing across Cultures https://theses.cz/id/j51iir/55781-523134129.pdf
- Honor & respect, by Robert Hickey https://archive.org/details/honorrespectoffi00hick/page/234/mode/2up
- FORMS OF ADDRESS https://www.debretts.com/expertise/forms-of-address/
- The Diplomatic Service https://www.debretts.com/expertise/forms-of-address/professions/the-diplomatic-service/
- I saw a gap in protocol and went for it https://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/money/I-saw-a-gap-in-protocol-and-went-for-it/435440-2788084-15d6iooz/index.html
- ABC of Diplomacy; e-Diplomat http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_th.htm
- 17 African Cultural Values (To Know Before You Travel to Africa) https://migrationology.com/african-cultural-values-travel-africa-17/
- How Africans are fascinated by courtesy titles https://face2faceafrica.com/article/africans-fascinated-courtesy-titles
- African view: Honouring titles http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8275509.stm
- How to address royalty and officials https://www.vic.gov.au/how-address-royalty-and-officials
- Business Etiquette, South African Republic http://www.tikzn.co.za/resources/docs/publications/Business_Etiquette.pdf
- Styles of address, Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/protocol-guidelines-special-event/styles-address.html