The diachronic development of the English language is marked by the loss of nearly all inflections – except for the pronouns’ inflections. When comparing the Modern English pronoun paradigm to the Old English one, especially the personal pronouns are worth looking at. For a native German speaker, it stands out that in Modern English both “Du” and “Sie” are translated with only one word, you.
In English, there seems to be no distinction between familiarity and politeness in the second person pronoun. This is true for Modern English, but not for earlier forms of English. It is interesting to see that between Early Modern English and Modern English the thou, which would be translated into German as “Du”, was gradually lost and replaced by you, the former “Sie”. This paper will have a closer look at the Early Modern English distinction between thou for close personal relationships as well as differentiation between upper and lower class, and you for impersonal relationships, politeness and respect in Drama.
The following chapter will explain what a pronoun is and more precisely also define the term personal pronoun. The third chapter will introduce and contrast various values of the second person pronouns thou and you and how their use is distributed during the Early Modern English Period. In the fourth chapter, this theory will be used to analyse sections from “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare. It will take a closer look at which characters use thou and you, why they do it and what that reveals about the characters themselves and their relationship to the character they talk to. The paper will end with a conclusion about the covered theory and analysis.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Second Person Pronoun(s) – Definition and History
2.1 What is a pronoun? – Personal pronoun
2.2 Old English Period – 450- 1150
2.3 Middle English – 1150- 1500
2.4 Early Modern English – c. 1450- 1700
2.5 Modern English – c. 1700- present day
3 Two theories about the usage of thou and you
3.1 Power and Solidarity by Brown and Gilman (1960)
3.2 Politeness theory by Brown and Levinson (1978)
4 Text Analysis: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, 1601
4.1 The Sentinels: Francisco, Bernardo and Marcellus
4.2 The King, the Queen and the Gentlemen
4.3 Hamlet
4.3.1 Hamlet and the Ghost of his Father
4.3.2 Hamlet and his Mother
4.3.3 Hamlet and Ophelia
5 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to explore the diachronic shift in English second-person pronouns from the Early Modern English distinction between "thou" and "you" to the consolidated modern usage, utilizing Shakespeare's Hamlet to demonstrate how these pronouns function as markers of social hierarchy, intimacy, and power dynamics.
- Diachronic development of English personal pronouns
- Sociolinguistic theories of Power and Solidarity (Brown and Gilman)
- Politeness theory in the context of face-threatening acts
- Analysis of dramatic dialogue as constructed speech
- Usage patterns of "thou" vs. "you" in Shakespearean tragedy
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 The Sentinels: Francisco, Bernardo and Marcellus
Both Bernardo and Francisco are guardsmen of Elsinore and therefore equal in status and even profession. The expected pronoun would rather be thou than you. But the two men do not act as friends or private persons, but are in their work setting and on duty. Therefore there is not much room for familiarity or even intimacy and the more polite or in this case professional you is used. In a private setting, it would be more likely for the both of them to address each other as thou, because it would generate a higher solidarity.
This changes, however, a few moments later after Francisco left, Horatio, a Dansih Gentlemen, and Marcellus, another guardsman, appeared and they all saw the Ghost. Marcellus urges Horatio to talk to it:
MARCELLUS Thou art a scholar; speak to it, Horatio.
(Act 1, Scene 1, 42)
He addresses a man who is of a higher rank than he himself as a guardsman with the informal pronoun, although he even acknowledges Horatio’s standing in his address. This is not completely incomprehensible in light of their situation: The tree men see themselves confronted with a ghost, something that classifies as an extreme and even frightening situation. When frightened, the need for comfort or support is heightened which is probably why Marcellus uses the more intimate of the two pronouns.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter outlines the loss of inflections in the English language and introduces the research focus on the historical shift of the second-person pronouns "thou" and "you" within the context of drama.
2 The Second Person Pronoun(s) – Definition and History: This chapter defines personal pronouns and traces the diachronic development and inflectional changes of these forms from Old English through to the Modern English period.
3 Two theories about the usage of thou and you: This chapter examines the theoretical framework of Power and Solidarity semantics by Brown and Gilman and the Politeness theory by Brown and Levinson as tools for interpreting pronoun usage.
4 Text Analysis: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, 1601: This chapter applies the previously discussed theoretical frameworks to specific dialogues in Hamlet, analyzing how characters use pronouns to signal relationship changes, authority, and intimacy.
5 Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the transformation of the pronoun paradigm and emphasizes the importance of understanding these historical nuances to fully grasp character dynamics in Shakespearean works.
Keywords
Diachronic Linguistics, Early Modern English, Second Person Pronoun, Thou, You, Shakespeare, Hamlet, Power and Solidarity, Politeness Theory, Face-Threatening Acts, Sociolinguistics, Pronouns of Address, Drama, Inflection, Historical Grammar
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper examines the historical disappearance of the informal "thou" and the consolidation of the modern "you" in the English language, focusing on how these shifts function as social markers in dramatic literature.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied?
The author primarily utilizes Brown and Gilman’s Power and Solidarity theory, alongside Brown and Levinson’s Politeness theory, to interpret the sociolinguistic motivations behind character choices in dialogue.
What is the primary research question?
The research explores how the Early Modern English distinction between "thou" and "you" was utilized by William Shakespeare in "Hamlet" to reveal character relationships, social standing, and shifting emotional intentions.
What methodology is used for the analysis?
The study uses a qualitative text analysis of selected excerpts from Shakespeare's "Hamlet," treating the dialogue as highly constructed speech to uncover implicit social and relational information.
How is the main body structured?
The main body is divided into a theoretical section defining pronoun evolution and usage theories, followed by an analytical section applying these theories to specific scenes from "Hamlet."
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Diachronic Linguistics, Power and Solidarity, Politeness Theory, "thou" vs "you," Shakespeare, and Sociolinguistics.
Why does Marcellus use "thou" when addressing Horatio?
The author argues that despite Horatio's higher social rank, the intense, frightening situation of encountering a ghost heightens the need for solidarity, prompting Marcellus to use the more intimate "thou" to seek support.
How does Hamlet's address to Ophelia change throughout the play?
Initially, Hamlet uses "thou" in his love letters to signify intimacy, but later switches to the formal, distant "you" to reject her, eventually using it as a form of mockery following their confrontation.
How do Claudius and Gertrude address one another?
They typically use the polite "you" in public and official roles to maintain social decorum, though the author suggests they may use "thou" in private, personal settings.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Jana Karoff (Autor:in), 2014, "Thou" and "You". The Pronouns of Address, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/310870
