Abstract
THE USE OF THE PLURAL IN POLITE ADDRESS.—An ingenious, if at first sight somewhat far-fetched, theory of the origin of the plural as used in polite or ceremonial address to a single individual is put forward by Mr. A. M. Hocart in the January issue of Man. He points out that though neither the Greeks nor Romans used it, it became the custom of their successors. The Fijians use it, but not the Polynesians on their right nor the Solomon Islanders on their left. The explanation offered is that it is based upon a conception of the individual as many, i.e. upon a belief in incarnation, and that further it is to be traced to a special form of incarnation-divine kingship. Not only are kings superiors (for whom the polite plural is originally reserved), but they are also permanent and not temporary incarnations, as in the case of the Fijian priests, to whom it is used only while they are officiating. Mr. Hocart concludes by referring to our custom of addressing the king as his Majesty, and suggests that as majestas is defined as “literally, of the gods,” in so doing we address, not the king himself, but a divine attribute.
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Research Items. Nature 113, 96–98 (1924). https://doi.org/10.1038/113096a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/113096a0