[User23]

> For example, to most Europeans, the idea that you would need to estimate your social rank to properly address someone is utterly alien.

German is well known for having different pronouns based on social rank and familiarity.

[kergonath]

Two of them, just like in French or Spanish: a standard one and a polite form for people you don’t know. Social rank does not factor in this.

[User23]

I was familiar with my teachers and they still got addressed as “sie” exactly because a teacher socially outranks a student.

[kergonath]

Not really. Even the children of vips (however you want to measure social status, either wealth, political power, or whatever; it’s not really rare to outrank teachers socially) say “sie” to their teachers or to strangers.