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  • The search for plural ‘you’

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cfp@prodigy.net Jun 21, 2025 7:45 pm
In addition to being the plural, you / you / your used to be used as a more formal or respectful singular than thou / thee / thy, at least in Elizabethan times. This is similar to the usage of tu and vous in French, and I'm guessing that French influenced English in that regard. Paying attention to the singular thou and you in Shakespeare is often rewarded with insight into the characters' attitudes toward one another, and sometimes they switch from thou to you or vice versa as the play develops, and not by accident. I don't know why we can't return to using thou in the singular and you for either singular or plural, depending on the context. Let's at least give it a try.
Reply to cfp@prodigy.net at 7:45 pm