Domestic violence among native-English populations can be one thing. However, in the case of feudal language populations, the ambit of what provokes would simply expand into a wider space.

Among feudal language speakers, every human relationship is arranged in one or other or even more than one hierarchy.

Take the case of a student-teacher hierarchy. In the languages of the southern parts of the South Asian Subcontinent, the student is Nee (lowest You) and the Teacher would be Saar/Maadam/Mash/Teacher/Ungal/ Neevu (all highest You).

This verbal relationship more or less places the student at a very low platform. The teacher occupies the highest platform. This understanding diffuses across the social scene, that all persons who feel that they are of the teacher-level (by age, profession, friendship &c.) would also find it quite convenient to use the same hierarchy.

However, if by some quirkiness, one of the students refuse to be thus degraded, and uses the Nee word to the Teacher or his friend, this will turn terribly ugly.

There is no doubt that he or she would be thrashed terribly, if the teacher side can physically do it. No one, not even the student’s parents would be able to find fault with this thrashing. Thus is the language code arrangement.

In the same manner, the policemen (most of them of a very lowly mental stature) of the subcontinent use the degraded pejorative form of addressing (Thoo/Nee) to the common people of the land. They refer to them also with the same pejorative words like Uss, Avan/Aval (all lower he, him, she, her &c.),

The common people do not generally react against this. For, they are more or less indoctrinated about their own subservient mental stature right from their primary school classes.

However, if anyone of the common man / woman reacts to this, and addresses the police official with the same Nee or Thoo, then it would literally create social explosion. The whole police force would bear down upon him or her. He or she would be literally finished off, physically or legally.

Now, look at the domestic violence scenario.

In feudal language speaking families, there are similar hierarchies that are enforced in the verbal codes.

The husband in the southern part of the peninsular are generally the Chettan/ Annan &c. (respected elder brother) to the wife. He has to be consistently addressed and referred to in the ‘respected’ / ennobling words and usages for such words as You, He, Him etc.

However, the wife is in the lower part of the relationship. She is the Nee or Thoo (lowest You) and the Aval / Uss (lowest she, her &c.)

However, these lower grade addressing and referring does not move her to any excrement location in the verbal usages. They only give a meaning of deep servile and affectionate attachments.

However if the wife in an offensive mood addresses the husband with a Nee / Thoo, then the husband and all the persons who heard the speech would feel that the husband has been moved to the excrement location. Thing can turn quite ugly. If the husband is a person with some kind of mental self-esteem, he will in most cases turn homicidal, at least momentarily.

However, if he does anything bad physically or verbally, his actions will be seen currently as criminal. However, in the earlier periods, the husband’s right to respect was seen as most sacrament and uninfringeable.