A Study Of "Substitution" In Chinese Terms Of Address

The complexity of Chinese terms of address is made necessary by the demands of such factors as familiarity, distance, interior or exterior hierarchy, real-time or virtual nature in the process of contact when exchanging words. Despite the fact that Chinese terms of address have continued to evolve over the past several thousand years, the problem that has arisen is that the terms needed nowadays in the process of interpersonal communication are far from sufficient for the culture, which devotes an immense amount of attention to the use of etiquette in personal contacts.Many researchers are engaged in the study of this problem of'shortage of address'terminology. A number of whom are searching for the rules of appellation usage through analyses of social surveys. We have conducted a study based on previous research findings and experience, and have found that, in reality, it is always possible to solve the so-called'terms lacking"problem by effective use of a variety of corresponding"substitution address"terms of address. This phenomenon, which has many variations, has as its basic attributes"relational structure variation"or"pragmatic structural modification".In view of these and other related findings, this paper presents a systematic and complete exposition of the problem. It makes a comprehensive and objective explanation of the substitution phenomenon and its associated problems. It focuses on the problems of address by using methods such as: comprehensive analysis, concept sorting of kinship terms by social survey, study of social network terms, and theoretical explanation. This effort has given a more reasonable linkage to the diversified ideas in this field of research.