Understanding Shakespearian texts : The formal and familiar pronouns of address.

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In Shakespeare's time people used two levels of intimacy in addressing another person. The formal pronoun, "you", was used with elder people, or with people of superior social standing. The familiar pronoun, "thou" or "thee" was used with younger people, or with close family members, or close friends. These two levels of address gave Early Modern English a wealth of subtlety that mainstream modern English does not possess. It also gave the speaker a wealth of invective because a ...