From
WiKi:
In informal speech, the nominative is increasingly used in place of the vocative, but this is regarded as a bad style in any formal situation
So I could be a little funny if speak in "formal style" in informal sutuation, couldn't I?
My grandmother call my mother "Juliuś!" but vocative would be "Juliusiu!"?
But concernig another words is vocative still in use in Polish?
In formal situations I think better to say:
Panie konduktorze!
Panie profesorze!
But what is true in informal situation?
Kochanie (Darling)!