vocativa

Vocative, from Latin vocativus, is a grammatical function used to address someone directly. In languages that retain a dedicated vocative case, the form of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives changes to signal direct address, as opposed to the nominative form used for ordinary subjects.

Examples and variation: In Latin, Marcus becomes Marce when addressing him. In Polish, the name Jan changes to Janie in the vocative. Some languages, such as English, do not have a separate morphologically marked vocative; direct address is indicated by punctuation and intonation rather than a distinct case, as in “John, please sit down.” Others, including Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, and many Slavic languages, have explicit vocative forms or patterns.

Use in writing and speaking: The vocative is typically set off by a comma in written English and may be accompanied by titles or terms of respect, such as “Sir” or “Doctor Smith.” In poetry and dramatic dialogue, vocatives can be extended or repeated for effect. The function remains to call someone’s attention or signal address, not to serve as a subject or object in the clause.

History and terminology: The term vocative derives from Latin and is used in grammars to describe the direct-address function. In language typology, the vocative is considered one of several case roles; its presence and form vary across languages.