(Recent threads about Japanese pronouns and honorifics lead me to mention something about Thai.)
Pronouns.
Thai pronouns are varied and confusing. In English, I, me, my, mine, and myself are all 1st-person pronouns, but the distinction among them is based purely on grammatical position: the personality of each is the same. Thai, on the other hand, doesn’t inflect pronouns but still has a plethora of them, some of which are used in multiple ways (e.g. as 2nd- and 3rd-person). For example, the standard 3rd-person (he/she/they) is also in common use as 1st-person when speaking to a friend. I can usually tell whom my wife is talking to on the phone just by which pronouns she’s using. She uses two different words for “I” when talking to her two sisters even though both are older than her, and still other pronouns for other intimates.
The social meanings of the different pronouns in this plethora are so confusing that one Thai textbook recommends avoiding pronouns altogether! Or using a generic “we” when you can’t avoid 1st- or 2nd-person.
There are major differences between middle/upper-class Bangkok Thai and rural Thai. Bernard Trink (who called himself the “Herb Caen of Thailand” :dubious: ) warned tourists in his newspaper column to listen for Thais calling them “man” (meaning it) since it was a huge insult. On my wedding day, my father-in-law, whom I’d just met, called me “man” but fortunately my knowledge of rural Thai was already good enough then to realize Trink’s view was … exaggerated. (BTW he used the same pronoun for his daughter, the bride.) My father-in-law and I grew to have great love and respect for each other.
Honorifics.
In English, many names get a prefix (honorific) like “Aunt”, “Sergeant” or “Doctor”, and the same is true in Thailand. Partly because surnames are very rarely used, honorifics are in very common use and are almost obligatory for an older or respected person (at least when present).
There are several rarish prefixes used for people of significance. I began to realize my father-in-law had led a colorful life when I heard him often referred to with a certain honorific which I’ve otherwise heard only in songs and movies. He’s been dead for several years, but I’m still sometimes introduced as “the son-in-law of (honorific) (name).” (I omit the actual “honorific” to avoid digression. And doubt that “honorific” is the best generic word for these prefixes.)
Even rarer is an honorific that translates as “Tiger.” One Tiger, whom our family calls “Uncle,” is still alive, with a compelling story I’m tempted to synopsize.