vocatief

Vocatief, or vocative, is the grammatical case or form used to address someone directly in speech or writing. It marks the addressee and signals that the listener is the person being spoken to. In languages with a dedicated vocative, the form of the noun or pronoun changes to indicate direct address, and these changes may depend on gender, number, or the word’s stem. In languages without a distinct vocative, direct address is conveyed through word order, intonation, or punctuation rather than a special morphological form.

Usage and forms: In many languages with rich case systems, such as Latin and Greek, the vocative is a separate case. For example, Latin has Marcus in the nominative and Marce in the vocative. In some Slavic languages, the vocative can differ markedly from the nominative, with specific endings. In languages like English, there is no true vocative case; a person’s name or title in direct address typically retains the same form as in other positions, aided by punctuation and intonation (for example, “John, please sit down.”).

Punctuation and function: Vocatives are commonly set off by commas in written text, and they may be accompanied by exclamations or intensified intonation in speech. They serve to focus attention on the addressee, convey social stance, and express emotions such as affection, summons, or urgency.

See also: direct address, grammatical case, address forms.