Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ucbvax!ucdavis!lll-crg!gymble!umcp-cs!seismo!brl-tgr!wmartin
From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Second person singular
Message-ID: <1488@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 13-Sep-85 16:57:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.1488
Posted: Fri Sep 13 16:57:05 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Sep-85 05:43:40 EDT
References: <2058@dutoit.UUCP> <3568@dartvax.UUCP> <1156@ihuxn.UUCP> <706@utastro.UUCP>
Reply-To: wmartin@brl-bmd.UUCP
Organization: USAMC ALMSA, St. Louis, MO
Lines: 16

I've now gotten completely confused by the "Plain Speech", "thee/thou"
discussion.

Do the Friends use "thee" and "thou" to be formal and polite, or do they
use them to be "intimate" -- that is, are they using them because "all
men are brothers" and you address your close relations as "thee/thou"?

If they use "you", would they be being distant and indifferent?

Or do I have the meaning of these terms reversed? 

(I am aware of the German "du" and "Sie", being intimate and formal,
respectively. So does "thee/thou" fall into the "du" category, or the
"Sie" category?)

Will


Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com