In Tamil, honorifics (Tamil: முறை) muṟai, governs daily speech and register of both written and spoken communication. Traditionally, Tamil has been classified into two registers viz. செந்தமிழ் (Centamiḻ) meaning 'classical' or 'pure ' Tamil and கொடுந்தமிழ் (Koṭuntamiḻ) meaning 'corrupt' Tamil, a huge feature of this difference is honorifics. Tamil honorifics usually are suffixes, although prefixes are not uncommon.

General[link]

Lexical choice[link]

Lexical choice plays a vital role in Tamil society as depending on the choice of words, the register may alter.

Not all words in Tamil necessarily have a different colloquial, low, standard and high equivalents.

-n, -l, -r[link]

Tamil nouns can end in ன் (n), ள் (ḷ) or ர் (r). ன் (n) and ள் (ḷ) are used to people of lesser social order to denote male and female respectively. ர் (r) is used as a form of respect to a person of higher social order.

Reflecting the importance of this ending, some Tamil castes have re-configured their caste names to end in /r/ rather than /n/, rendering them honorific. Such castes include the Pallar (formerly Pallan) and Paraiyar (formerly Paraiyan).^[2]

Kār/Mār[link]

கார் (Kār) is a singular honorific suffix to refer to a single collective noun. காரர் (Kārar) is a higher form of கார் (Kār). For example, கடைக்கார் (kaṭaikār) means 'shop-keeper' while கடைக்காரர் (kaṭaikārar) can be translated as 'honorable shop-keeper'. It is used to show and maintain a respectful distance in a relationship, as such is used to refer to stranger(s).

மார் (Mār) is a plural honorific suffix used to refer to a collective noun. மாரர் (Mārar) is a higher form of மார் (Mār). For example, அக்காக்கள் (akkākkal) means 'elder sisters' and is a plural, அக்காமார் (Akkāmār) means 'those honorable elder sisters' and is a collective plural while அக்காமாரர் (Akkāmārar) can be translated as 'those venerable elder sisters' and is also a collective plural. It is used to show respectful closeness or appraisal in a relationship, as such is used to refer to familiar person(s),

Ar[link]

னார் (Nār), ஞர் (ñar) and யார் (yār) is a honorific suffix affixed after a noun to highlight its influence or importance. Its use implies that the noun is a collective singular. The rules to conjugate them are as follows: if the noun ends with ன், its ending would be னார் (Nār); if a noun ends with ஞன் (ñan), its ending would be ஞர் (ñar); if a noun ends with ஐ (ai) or இ (i), its ending would be யார் (yār).

For example, தகப்பனார் (takappanār) is more polite than saying தகப்பன் (takappan). தகப்பன் (takappan) means 'father', so தகப்பனார் (takappanār) can be translated as 'respectable father'. Other examples include நாயனார் (nāyanār), இளைஞர் (iḷaiñar), மூப்பனார் (moopanār), etc.

Ṭa/Ṭi[link]

டா (Ṭa) and டி (Ṭi) are deictic honorific suffixes used to referring male and females respectively of a lower social order. A verb usually precedes it.

Personal pronouns[link]

The register of use can vary depending on the situation. For example, saying என் வீடு (En veeṭu) meaning 'my house' is considered rude even when if the house does not belong to the listener as it can suggest possessiveness. For the purpose of this article, the order of register descends from majestic > official > standard > low.

^[6]

Others[link]

அவ்விடம் (avviṭam) which literally means 'that place' and இவ்விடம் (ivviṭam) which literally means 'this place' can be used to politely differentiate between two parties without explicating the difference.^[7]

வொய் / வோய் (woi) can replace a second person or proper noun in some southern dialects. It shows a lot of familiarity between the speakers. என்ன வொய்? (Enna voi) is a common phrase in districts like Madurai and Tirunelveli, and can be roughly translated as 'Wassup?'

Inclusives and Exclusives[link]

Tamil differentiates between inclusive and exclusive plural pronouns. எம் (Em) is an exclusive 'our' whereas நம் (Nam) is an inclusive 'our'. It is usually more polite to use the latter.

Titular[link]

Tiru/Tirumati[link]

Tiru (Tamil: திரு, is a Tamil honorific prefix used while addressing adult males in the Tamil language, being the equivalent of the English "Mr." or the French "Monsieur".

Thiru is a word that also means "sacred" or "holy". It is also a Tamil name for the God Mahavishnu who is called "Thirumaal" (திருமால்)and Goddess Lakshmi who is called "Thirumagal" (திருமகள்) in Tamil. It is also meant for "wealth", "respect", and "name" in Tamil language.

The word "Thiru" is part of city-names, such as Trivandrum or Thiruvananthapuram; Thiruchendur, Thiruvaiyaru, Thiruvenkadam, Thirumalai, Thirupathi, Thiruchirappalli, Thirukoilur, Thirukumaran, Thiruvannamalai etc. - - the list is endless; the word forms part of the name of many other cities and towns in South India.

Celvan/Celvi[link]

These are used to refer to unmarried people. செல்வன் (Celvan): is the Tamil equivalent of Master. செல்வி (Celvi): is the Tamil equivalent of Miss.

Honorary[link]

Avarkaḷ/Vāḷ[link]

அவர்கள் (Avarkaḷ) and வாள் (Vāḷ) are honorific suffixes that affix after a noun. They are used to show respect to people of equal or higher social order. For example, ஜோன்-அவர்கள் (Jōn-avarkaḷ), ஐயர்-வாள் (Aiyar-Vāḷ). The அவர்கள் (Avarkaḷ) honorific can only used in third person reference.

Kanam[link]

கனம் (kanam) means 'weight' in Tamil. It is used as a prefix, usually to refer to a judge. It is equivalent to the English 'The Right Worshipful'.

Mānpumiku[link]

மான்புமிகு (mānpumiku) is a prefix meaning 'very respectable' and is equivalent to the English 'The Right Honourable', it is usually followed by a noun.

Aiyā/Yā[link]

அய்யா (Aiyā) is a honorific suffix literally meaning 'Father'. It can be used to mean 'respectful' when addressing someone of equal or higher social order.

யா (yā) is a contraction of அய்யா (Aiyā), and is also a honorific suffix attached to a noun. It shows familiarity between the speakers, and can be a faux pas if not used properly. In this contexy, யோ (yō) can fully replace the noun.

Ammā[link]

அம்மா (Ammā) can also act as a honorific suffix to show respect to an elderly or middle-aged female of higher social order. It can be equivalent to the English 'Lady'.

Amuni[link]

அமுனி (Amuni) or அம்முனி (Ammuni) is a honorific suffix also equivalent to the English 'Lady', but restricted to young women or girls of higher social order. Its use is usually restricted to rural dialects where social order is much more defined.

Aṇṇācci/Aṇṇātai[link]

அண்ணாச்சி (aṇṇācci) strictly means 'elder brother' and is a corruption of அண்ணா (aṇṇā). More often, it is used to address a leader of a gang. அண்ணாத்தை (aṇṇātai) with the same meaning and etymology is also used in some dialects.

Cellam[link]

செல்லம் (Cellam) is equivalent to the English 'dear'. It can be used as a suffix to show endearment.

Kuṭṭi[link]

குட்டி (kuṭṭi) literally means 'tiny'. It can be used as an endearing suffix while referring to children.

Maccān/Maccini[link]

மச்சான் (machchān), or மச்சினன் (maccinan) in literary Tamil, is a title used to refer to a brother-in-law. Maccini is its female equivalent. Machchan, or its contraction Machchi can also be used colloquially between friends as an expression of familiarity or fraternity.

Periyavar/Periyavanga[link]

பெரியவர் (periyavar) means 'lit. he/she who is big' is used to refer to an elderly stranger. Although, technically it is gender neutral, it usually refers to men. While பெரியவங்க (Periyavanga) literally meaning 'they who are big' is used for women instead. However, it is not a faux pas to use kinship honorifics to strangers.

Piḷḷai[link]

In some dialects of Tamil, it is common for adults to call young people or children பிள்ளை (Piḷḷai) or its contraction ல (ḷa) used as a suffix. பிள்ளை (Piḷḷai) means 'child' in Tamil.

Ecclesiastical[link]

These are titles used in clerical orders in Tamil. They may be religion specific or pan-religious.

Aiyar[link]

அய்யர் (Aiyar) is a general title for 'priest' usually used to refer to Hindu priests. The priest in question does not have to belong to the Aiyar caste. It means 'father'.

Āyar/Pērāyar[link]

ஆயர் (āyar) means 'shepherd' in Old Tamil^[8], used by the Catholic and Anglican priests. பேராயிர் (pērāyar) is Tamil for bishop.

Aṭigaḷ[link]

அடிகள் (aṭigaḷ) is a pan-religious title used to denote priests or monks and is a Tamil alternative to the Sanskrit 'swami'. Notable examples include Ilango Adigal, a Jain monk who composed the Silappatikaram and Maraimalai Adigal, a Saivite leader of the Pure Tamil movement and the Non-Brahministic movement. It means 'footsteps'.

Āzhwār[link]

ஆழ்வார் (Āzhwār) were a celebrated group of twelve Vaishnavaite saint-poets. It means 'them who have drowned'.

Cittar[link]

சித்தர் (cittar) were a group of physicians who founded the Siddha medicine.

Nāyanār[link]

நாயனார் (Nāyanārs) were a celebrated group of sixty-three Shaivaite saint-poets.

Tiruṭtantai[link]

திருத்தந்தை (Tiruṭtantai) is a title specific to the Pope, the head of the Catholic faith, meaning 'Holy Father'.

Pātariyār[link]

பாதரியர் (pātariyār) is the Tamil equivalent of pastor, especially to the ordained of the Baptist faith. It means 'they who know the way'.

Poocāri[link]

பூசாரி (poocāri) is a title used to refer to priestesses of rural non-Agamic deities.

Turavi[link]

துறவி (turavi) is a pan-religious title used specifically for monks or nuns, or generally those who have left worldly life for spirituality.

Kinship[link]

Āyā[link]

ஆயா (Aaya) is a title which can mean 'grandma'. It is usually used for elderly maids, or wet nurses.

Appan, Aiyan, Accan and Attān[link]

அப்பன் (Appan), அய்யன் (Aiyan), அச்சன் (Achchan) and அத்தான் (Attān) have the semantic root meaning 'father'. However, they can be used differently depending on the context. Appan and Accan are usually used to refer to fathers. Attan can also be used to refer to a sister's husband, or simply endearingly by females. Aiyan or Aiya can be used to refer to scholars, or to show respect to a member of higher social order. They can all act as a suffix.

Ammā, Āttā, Ācci, Amman and Ammaiyar[link]

அம்மா (Ammā), ஆத்தா (āttā), ஆச்சி (āchchi), அம்மன் (Amman) and அம்மையார் (Ammaiyar) all have the semantic root meaning 'mother', literally means mother. However, they can be used differently depending on the context. அம்மா (Ammā) is the standard register equivalent to 'mum', ஆத்தா (ātta) is a more familiar register, usually used in rural dialects, and is equivalent to 'mummy', and அம்மையார் (Ammaiyar) is the highest register equivalent to 'mother'.

அம்மா (Ammā) can also act as a honorific suffix to show respect to an elderly or middle-aged female of higher social order. It can be equivalent to the English 'Lady'.

ஆச்சி (āchchi) is an endearing and more familiar title for grandmother. Manorama, a veteran Tamil actress is affectionately known by this name. Occasionally, அம்மாச்சி (Ammāchchi), a portmanteau of the words அம்மா (Ammā) and ஆச்சி (āchchi) is also used.

அம்மன் (Amman), on its own or as a suffix refers to a range of non-Agamic folk goddesses. See Village deities of Tamil Nadu and Village deities of Tamils of Sri Lanka.

Tōzhan/Tōzhi[link]

தோழன் (tōzhan) can be translated as 'comrade' or 'soul mate'. தோழி (tōzhi) is its female equivalent. A prefix மன (mana) can be affixed in front to mean best man and bridesmaid respectively. Cuntarar was known as 'Tampiran tōzhan' or Comrade of the Master. It is of high register, and as such is not used in spoken Tamil.

Occupational[link]

Teacher[link]

வாத்தியார் (vāttiyār) and ஆசிரியர் (āciriyar) both can refer to teachers. வாத்தி (vātti) a contraction of வாத்தியார் (vāttiyār) is a more familiar address to teachers, and is usually frowned upon.

Poet[link]

புலவர் (pulavar) is the Tamil honorific suffix for poets. Notable recipients include Tiruvalluvar, Umaru Pulavar, Mayilvagana Pulavar and Kumaraswamy Pulavar.

Although, the Sanskrit கவிஞன் (kaviñar) is also used, which is a prefix. A notable recipient is கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து (kaviñar Vairamuttu).

Orator[link]

நாவலர் (nāvalar) is the Tamil honorific suffix for orators. A notable recipient is Arumuka Navalar.

References[link]

See also[link]

• Sri

Five or 5 Star(s) or star(s) may refer to:

• Five-star rank, a senior military rank
• A grading of a hotel, restaurant, movie, TV show, theatre or musical work or performance - see star (classification)
• Five Star (film), South Indian Tamil film
• Five Star Production, a Thai film production company
• Five Star Final, 1931 film
• The Five Star Stories or Five Star Monogatari, manga series and 1989 film
• Five Star Theater, American 1930s radio series
• Five Star Jubilee, a 1961 NBC-TV program
• Five Star Jet Center, and Five Star Flight Academy, at Barnes Municipal Airport, Westfield, MA, USA
• Five Star Publishing, fiction imprint of Gale (Cengage)
• Five Star Bus Company, Inc, in the Philippines
• 5 Star (supermarkets), an Australian group, competitors of IGA (Australian supermarket group)
• UEFA elite stadiums (known as 5 star stadiums until 2006), football stadiums graded on suitability to host major matches
• Five-starred red flag or Five-star red flag, the Flag of the People's Republic of China
• Five Star, a triangular shaped and powerful firecracker manufactured in the Philippines
• Five star energy rating system, a No load power#Policies to reduce no load power for mobile phone chargers
• Five Star Supermarket (Ireland), a former supermarket chain in Ireland
• 5*, a UK TV channel, sister channel of Channel 5

Albums, EPs, music DVDs & songs[link]

• Five-star (album), 2007 greatest hits album by Japanese singer Yuki Isoya
• Five Star (album), 1990 eponymous album by the British group Five Star
• 5 Star (song), by rapper Yo Gotti

Bands[link]

• Five Star, a British pop group from Romford, Essex
• Five Stars (Bulgarian group), includes Svetlozar Hristov, singer about Torbalan
• The Five Stars, a Samoan musical group

See also[link]

• Five-pointed star
• All pages beginning with "Five Star"
• All pages beginning with "Five star"
• All pages beginning with "5 Star"
• All pages beginning with "5 star"
• For other numbers of stars, see Category:Star ranking systems.

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Peter George Sissons (born 17 July 1942) is a broadcast journalist in the United Kingdom. He was the presenter of the BBC Nine O'Clock News and the BBC News at Ten between 1993 and 2003, and earlier a newscaster for ITN, providing bulletins on ITV and Channel 4. He is also a former presenter of the BBC's Question Time programme. He left the BBC in 2009.^[1]

Background[link]

Originally from Liverpool, Peter Sissons attended the Dovedale Road Junior School with John Lennon and Jimmy Tarbuck and after the 11+ to the Liverpool Institute for Boys from 1953 to 1961 with Bill Kenwright, Stephen Norris, George Harrison and Paul McCartney. He later studied at University College, Oxford where he was Treasurer of the University College Players.

Career[link]

After many years as a journalist, during which time he was wounded by gunfire while covering the Biafran War,^[2] his first period as a newsreader came in 1976 when he began anchoring ITN's News at One bulletins alternately with Leonard Parkin until the first incarnation of the series was dropped by ITV in 1987 after Leonard Parkin decided to retire from ITN; Sissons subsequently left for the BBC.

In June 1989, Sissons took over from Sir Robin Day as the presenter of Question Time. He continued until December 1993, when he was followed by David Dimbleby. In the same year he received a death threat, after his interview of an Iranian representative as part of the reaction surrounding the publication of The Satanic Verses, stating that the fatwa covered him as well.^[3] He co-presented BBC's 1992 General Election Night coverage with David Dimbleby and Peter Snow. Previously he had been a co-presenter on ITN's election night programmes in 1983 (with Sir Alastair Burnet and Martyn Lewis) and in 1987 (with Burnet and Alastair Stewart).

He has worked for ITN, Channel 4 News and BBC News, where he hosted the BBC Nine O'Clock News and the Ten O'Clock News. He was dropped from this position in January 2003.^[4] Sissons reportedly accused the BBC of ageism in response to its decision to move him from the prime slot.^[5]

In 2002, Sissons announced the death of The Queen Mother on the BBC. His broadcast created a minor controversy, as he wore a burgundy tie as opposed to a black one, deemed more appropriate by some for such news.^[6] Sissons has since publicly defended his actions.^[7] He subsequently presented weekend afternoons on BBC News, the corporation's 24-hour rolling news channel. Sissons has also presented News 24 Sunday, the replacement for Andrew Marr's BBC One programme The Andrew Marr Show when it is off air during the Summer. He also occasionally presented weekend bulletins on BBC One. On 12 June 2009, Sissons announced his intention to retire in the summer in order to write his memoirs.^[8]

Other appearances[link]

Sissons portrayed a spoof version of himself in The Life of Python, a lighthearted documentary about the Monty Python's Flying Circus television show, in which he led an interview of the five surviving Pythons together, which consisted entirely of them all saying "Hello".

Opinions[link]

In 2011, Sissons published When One Door Closes (from which an extract was reproduced for Mail Online), in which he claimed that BBC News had a bias towards the political Left and complained that The Guardian was the first newspaper that was turned to for a lead on stories.^[9]

Personal life[link]

Sissons is also a Liverpool John Moores University Honorary Fellow and delivered a lecture on 19 June 2008 speaking about the City of Liverpool.^[10]

His daughter is the actress Kate Sissons. He also has a second home on the island of Barbados.

References[link]