This thesis includes 171 pages of detailed linguistic corpus analysis as well as 36 pages of running text examining the use of thou, thee, ye and you in Early Modern English. The corpus I will use is the diachronic multi-genre Helsinki Corpus of English Texts, which consists of 1 572 800 words. For my investigation of the subjective and objective second person pronouns, I will consider all 2977 occurrences of thou, thee, ye and you (including their alternative spellings) in the 126 Early Modern English text samples of private and official correspondence.
For this research, I will use private and official letters, since they are essentially the only surviving text samples in which an individual is consistently addressed. I will first analyze the use of the subjective and objective second person pronouns in private correspondence. More precisely, I will determine how thou, thee, ye and you (and their alternative spellings) were used in the period of Early Modern English and in which context they appeared. Next, I will investigate the same four pronouns in non-private Early Modern English letters. Finally, I will compare the use of the subjective and objective second person pronouns in private and non-private correspondence from the first Early Modern English period (1500 to 1570) through the second one (1570 to 1640) up to the third and last one (1640 to 1710). I will explore to what extent a status distinction or an emotional marking is made within these private and official letters and how each of the four pronouns developed until only you remained.
Initially, the usage of certain second person pronouns related to social status as well. In Middle English, ye and you were generally used by inferiors for addressing their superiors, while thou and thee were employed by superiors for speaking with their inferiors (cf. Adamson et al 2001: 206, 227-228; Barber 1976: 208; Baugh and Cable 1978: 242; Brown and Gilman 1960: 255-257 ; Byrne 1936: xix-xx, xxiii-xxiv, xxvii; Görlach 1991: 85). In Early Modern English, the use of the more polite pronouns ye and you was favored, and, as a result, the status distinction became less common until it was eventually dropped in Modern English.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The use of second person pronouns in private and official letters in Early Modern English
2.1 The use of second person pronouns in Early Modern English
2.2 Corpus and method
2.3 The use of second person pronouns in private letters
2.3.1 First Early Modern English period
2.3.2 Second Early Modern English period
2.3.3 Third Early Modern English period
2.4 The use of second person pronouns in official letters
2.4.1 First Early Modern English period
2.4.2 Second Early Modern English period
2.4.3 Third Early Modern English period
2.5 A comparison of second person pronouns in private and official letters
2.5.1 First Early Modern English period
2.5.2 Second Early Modern English period
2.5.3 Third Early Modern English period
3. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
The research examines the development and usage of the second person pronouns thou, thee, ye, and you in Early Modern English correspondence. It investigates whether these pronouns were used to indicate social status distinctions or emotional markings, or if their usage patterns were influenced by grammatical inconsistency and confusion among writers.
- The linguistic analysis of second person pronouns in private and official letter samples.
- The evolution from a complex system of address forms to the dominance of the singular/plural pronoun 'you'.
- Evaluation of social status and emotional connotations in pronoun selection across three sub-periods (1500–1710).
- The contrast between formal, official writing and informal, private correspondence.
- The impact of diachronic language change and grammatical insecurity on pronoun usage.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Introduction
You is an unusually versatile personal pronoun. It is “used to address a single [and/or] [...] two or more persons, animals, or personified things” (you, pron., adj., and n., www.oed.com) and indicates the subjective and objective case in both singular and plural. However, you has not always been the only second person pronoun in English. In Old and Middle English, there were various pronouns differentiating among gender, person, case and number – including, in Old English, dual number (cf. Baugh and Cable 1978: 58, 161). By the period of Early Modern English (that is, from 1500 to 1710), the number of pronouns was restricted, and eventually four different forms came to be used as pronouns of address: thou, thee, ye and you (each with various spellings). In general, thou and thee were used as the singular forms, whereas ye and you were used for the plural. At the beginning of Early Modern English, thou and ye were used for the subjective cases, while thee and you were used for the objective cases. However, in the course of the Early Modern English period, you supplanted ye as the subjective but maintained its use as the objective form as well. In the meantime, the singular pronouns thou and thee became archaic. By the end of Early Modern English, you had expanded its use to both the singular and the plural forms and has remained that way ever since. (cf. Barber 1976: 204, 208, 212; Baugh and Cable 1978: 242-243; Fischer 2003: 84; Görlach 1991: 85; Nevalainen 2006a: 77-80).
Initially, the usage of certain second person pronouns related to social status as well. In Middle English, ye and you were generally used by inferiors for addressing their superiors, while thou and thee were employed by superiors for speaking with their inferiors (cf. Adamson et al 2001: 206, 227-228; Barber 1976: 208; Baugh and Cable 1978: 242; Brown and Gilman 1960: 255-257; Byrne 1936: xix-xx, xxiii-xxiv, xxvii; Görlach 1991: 85). In Early Modern English, the use of the more polite pronouns ye and you was favored, and, as a result, the status distinction became less common until it was eventually dropped in Modern English.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the history of second person pronouns in English, highlighting the transition from status-based distinctions to the dominance of 'you'.
2. The use of second person pronouns in private and official letters in Early Modern English: This section details the diachronic analysis of pronoun usage across three sub-periods using the Helsinki Corpus of English Texts.
2.1 The use of second person pronouns in Early Modern English: This subsection establishes the theoretical framework regarding pronoun usage and social status distinctions during the 16th and 17th centuries.
2.2 Corpus and method: This subsection describes the Helsinki Corpus and the methodology, including the use of WordSmith Tools for concordance analysis.
2.3 The use of second person pronouns in private letters: This section examines pronoun variation, potential emotional markings, and the influence of writer insecurity in private correspondence.
2.3.1 First Early Modern English period: Analyzes the high frequency of 'ye' and 'you' and the notable absence of 'thou' and 'thee' in early private letters.
2.3.2 Second Early Modern English period: Explores the reappearance of 'thou' and 'thee' and demonstrates that their usage was not status-motivated.
2.3.3 Third Early Modern English period: Documents the near-obsolescence of 'ye' and the consistent dominance of 'you' in late EModE.
2.4 The use of second person pronouns in official letters: Compares formal correspondence patterns, showing fewer instances of pronoun variation compared to private letters.
2.4.1 First Early Modern English period: Focuses on the usage in formal letters between social superiors and inferiors, noting consistent V-pronoun usage.
2.4.2 Second Early Modern English period: Highlights the exclusive use of 'you' in official letters from this era.
2.4.3 Third Early Modern English period: Concludes that 'you' was the standard pronoun for all types of address in official settings by this time.
2.5 A comparison of second person pronouns in private and official letters: Provides a synthesizing analysis of differences and similarities between informal and formal registers.
2.5.1 First Early Modern English period: Contrasts the relative stability of official usage against the inconsistencies found in private correspondence.
2.5.2 Second Early Modern English period: Discusses the shifting role of 'you' as a polite and unmarked form of address.
2.5.3 Third Early Modern English period: Confirms that 'you' reached universal acceptance as the sole pronoun of address in official correspondence.
3. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, confirming that pronoun choice was rarely used for social or emotional marking but was instead shaped by the gradual transition toward 'you'.
Keywords
Early Modern English, second person pronouns, thou, thee, ye, you, Helsinki Corpus, linguistic variation, diachronic linguistics, social status, pronoun usage, letter writing, language change, status distinction, emotional marking, corpus-based research.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The work examines the usage, evolution, and potential social/emotional functions of second person pronouns (thou, thee, ye, you) in private and official letters during the Early Modern English period (1500–1710).
What are the central thematic fields?
The study centers on diachronic linguistics, historical sociolinguistics, the history of the English language, and corpus linguistics.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to determine how and why these four pronouns were used and to investigate if their choice was tied to social rank or emotional expression, or if variations were merely the result of grammatical inconsistency.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author uses a quantitative, corpus-based approach, analyzing 126 text samples from the Helsinki Corpus of English Texts using WordSmith Tools to conduct concordancing.
What is covered in the main body?
The body analyzes three distinct periods (1500–1570, 1570–1640, 1640–1710) separately for private and official correspondence, detailing specific pronoun occurrences and contextual relationships.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include Early Modern English, pronoun variation, Helsinki Corpus, language change, and social status distinction.
How does the usage of 'you' differ in private versus official correspondence?
The study finds that official letters were written with more care and consistency, showing a quicker adoption of 'you' as the dominant form compared to the more frequent inconsistencies found in private letters.
What conclusion is drawn about 'Emotionalisierung' (emotional marking)?
The author concludes that there is no evidence to support the claim that switching between pronouns was a systematic way to mark emotions; rather, it appears to be a result of confusion and the ongoing transition in the pronoun system.
- Quote paper
- Julie Dillenkofer (Author), 2014, The Use of Second Person Pronouns in Private and Official Letters in Early Modern English, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/313782
