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This paper analyses particular characteristics of tuteo in the Spanish spoken in Medellín (Colombia), where three forms of pronominal treatment coexist: tú, vos and usted. The analysis based on applying a questionnaire to 849 respondents shows that: 1) Tuteo is an innovative and prestigious treatment that has expanded through the young female population of the city's upper class. Compared to vos , it sounds refined throughout the city, especially in that population. 2) It sounds more affectionate than voseo since it is a form of address used frequently and almost exclusively in intimate and close relationships – between married couples, mothers and children – and especially by the young female population of the city's upper class. 3) Its refined use among intimate and affectionate couples means that if men address one another using tuteo it can sound effeminate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]