From: Padraic Brown (elemtilas@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Jun 08 2003 - 03:00:21 EST
--- James Campbell <james@zolid.com> wrote:
> It's long fascinated me, the way that the 2nd
> person pronouns of so many European langs have
> had a chequered history as a
> result of this formal/informal distinction, and
> the linguistic hoops people
> have jumped through to avoid saying "you".
I always thought it was funny! None of the
British Romance languages have a third person
second person form; which with Francien (and
presumably Narbonósc) forms a nice counterbalance
to the more southerly languages that do.
> For Capraian, I'm inclined to commandeer the
> reflexive pronoun "sec" for
> polite-2nd-person duty ("Would herself like
> another cucumber sandwich?") --
> has anyone here done similarly, or have you
> followed the Usted/U or Sie/De/Lei patterns?
No. Kerno, and to my knowledge Brithenig,
speakers have always been staunch second-
personists. (Good) Brithenig does use gw (2pl) as
a polite singular, which puts it in company with
Francien.
Padraic.
=====
Et ters davigaint deck y yaithes 'n el drichlend le Roy Markon;
y cestes d' ils yspoil morès y ddew chaumèz e-z-el tons l' organón.
.
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