10.115 Addressing people: vocatives

When you are talking to people, you sometimes address them using their own name or title, or a word like 'darling' or 'idiot'. Words used like this are called vocatives.

Vocatives are not used in British English as commonly as in some other languages, or even in American English. Some are used only in formal contexts, some only in informal ones. Look in a Cobuild dictionary for more detailed information.