Politeness Affixes

Sentences are made polite by addition of a "politeness suffix." For extreme politeness, the "politeness prefix" is also added. The "prefix" is affixed to the beginning of the sentence and the "suffix" to the end of it.

These vary depending on the sex of the speaker. (Note that slaves are considered sexless [neuter])


 * These constructions show respect towards the addressee.

Sage
To make a single word polite, the prefix sage- is used. This shows respect to the person or thing represented by the word which it is prefixed to.

Examples
The phrase panno gaifaguni igo (I gave bread to a Frenchman) can be made polite in the following ways, depending on the gender of the speaker and the level of politeness desired.

A male speaker would use
 * panno gaifaguni igoma; for moderate politeness; or,
 * dzoopanno gaifaguni igoma; for extreme politeness.

Similarly, a female speaker would use
 * panno gaifaguni igoinja; for moderate politeness; or,
 * shizumpanno gaifaguni igoinja; for extreme politeness.

Finally, a neuter speaker would use
 * panno gaifaguni igoinjatatako; for moderate politeness; or,
 * onotoosamapanno gaifaguni igoinjatatako; for extreme politeness.

If, in the above sentence, one wished to show respect towards the "Frenchman" rather than the addressee, sage- would be prefixed to the word gaifagu, giving
 * panno sagegaifaguni igo.


 * Sage- can be used in conjunction with the "politeness affixes."