Differences between YOU and THOU in the 16th and 17th Centuries

Differences between YOU and THOU in the Second Person in the 16th and 17th Centuries
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Differences between YOU and THOU in the Second Person in the 16th and 17th CenturiesThe structure of English underwent several significant alterations during the Middle English era. Among these, the elimination of inflectional differences in nouns was the most important. Second, the addition of adjectives, verbs, and the shift from a primarily SOV to an SVO word order. Lastly, there is a tendency to use analytical resources rather than synthetic ones. Speakers and authors of Early Modern English frequently had more forms and constructions at their disposal than we do now. During the seventeenth Century, the number of alternative expressions progressively decreased. By the eighteenth Century, the language's structure began closely approximating Modern Standard English (Barber, 1981). The following discussion will be centered on the differences between the pronouns thou and you, sometimes known as the "pronouns of address," in the second person.
Example One: Hamlet III. i. 97
In the analysis of this example, we look at the use of you on social equals, respect, and admiration. The mentioned brings a talk about power, emotions, solidarity, and politeness. The characters in the same social class tend to be polite and can show solidarity. In the example, Ophelia and Hamlet address each other using the pronoun you. Emotionally, both Ophelia and Hamlet have attracted to one another hence the use of you. Ophelia speaks with a lot of respect and appreciation, and her choice of pronouns reflects this.
According to theorists Brown and Gilman, the use of you and thou pronouns as indications of social class differentiation aided in the evolution of these pronouns. The two, Ophelia and Hamlet, are of the same social class, and there is no imbalance of power. On the other hand, Wales argued that the shifts in social hierarchy and power were independent of linguistic changes in the norm. The aristocracy preferred to use the pronoun you in public contexts rather than the informal or unfriendly form thou. As a result, you and politeness were linked, but thou was the private sphere's expressive form that could express a wide range of emotions. In the example, the scene is public, hence the pronoun you. Additionally, the character wanted to appear friendly to one another.
Example Two: Richard III, III, ii, 1 18-24
According to most experts, shifts between thou and you can occur when a character exhibits hypocrisy before revealing his genuine sentiments in a soliloquy or an aside (Barber 1981). However, it is alluring to interpret these transitions as dramatic hints, signifying to the audience that the pronouns are intended as asides or information shared exclusively with them and no one else. To use Calvo's language from 1992, the change in pronoun would indicate the boundary between two separate parts of a dramatic discourse. Establishing the discourse's structural organization would be beneficial. In the example, the shift from the use of you to the use of thou shows the change in dramatic discourse. Glouchester initially addressed Clarence, but once the scene changed and Clarence left the room, the discourse immediately changed because of the change in emotion.
Hope (1994) questions the popular notion that the closest thing we have to speak Early Modern English is dramatic dialogue and literacy. He points out that, if it pertains to true Early Modern usage, Shakespeare's dramatic use of the pronouns may maintain usages of you and thou that had long since disappeared from regular, non-literary speech. Other uses were not anticipated in accordance with Brown and Gilman's solidarity and power paradigm (1960, 1989). The absence of mutual lower class thou, as suggested by Brown and Gilman and by the majority of other analyses of Early Modern English pronominal usage, is what Hope emphasizes most. In other words, you are the most common manner of address in the depositions, even among characters of lower social classes.
The inability of the sex variable to follow the sequence indicated by the solidarity and power norm in a historical setting supports Lesley Milroy's claim that class and sex should be maintained distinct in sociolinguistic variation models (1992). In the example, Glouchester used both you and thou, yet the character in both scenes was all male. In solidarity and power, Glouchester used a polite you to address Clarence, who was someone close to him. The same also shows solidarity regarding the relationship between Clarence and Glouchester. Glouchester addressed the guard using thou, which shows the power difference.
Hope's final key discovery relates to the moment when the English word thou becomes the marked form. Barber (1981) points out that, in light of this, there isn't much difference in the frequency of the pronouns thou and singular you throughout Shakespeare's works. Therefore, it cannot be claimed that thou was merely an uncommon variant used on occasion and that you was Shakespeare's standard or unmarked version. Look at how Glouchester used thou to address Brackenbury, who was still an upper-class member. However, Hope (1994) discovers that the situation in the court documents is considerably different. Here, you are, without a doubt, the designated form—and it's only the year 1560. You is the preferred, neutral form for these speakers, and when you are employed, it is nearly always done for a clear reason. According to Hope, Early Modern vernacular patterns that have long since vanished from regular conversation are preserved in Shakespeare's dramatic language. He concludes by stating that you and I presumably...