This paper explores cross-linguistic differences in the pragmatic constraints governing the use of subject-oriented honorific verb forms in Japanese and in three dialects of Yaeyaman (Southern Ryukyuan), based on original data from the author’s fieldwork. I show that plural subjects with mixed honorific status give rise to different felicity patterns in these language varieties, and argue that these differences arise from different rankings of competing pragmatic constraints.
Note: Some description in the abstract has been supplanted by corrected description in the talk.