10. The Words, Sounds, and Inflections of Early Modern English

2. Discuss the development of the pronouns you and thou (both from the formal and the pragmatic point of view).

- "thou" = represents 2nd person singular, whereas "you" represents 2nd person plural - however, these forms began to be used to make social rather than number distinctions - in some European languages, the plural forms are used as markers of politeness, called honorifics

  - this use of the 2nd person personal pronouns was probably influenced by French, and it first appeared in the 13th c., and was
    established by the 14th c.
  - the PL forms were used in addressing superiors in age, rank, and social class; in the upper classes it was also used among
    equals, who didn't have a close relationship
  - contrary to this, the SG forms were used in addressing inferiors (citizens, servants, children, even wives)
  - the lower classes mostly used the SG forms, and moreover, the SG form was also used to address God
  - in general, the PL forms indicate deference, respect, and politeness; however, if use inappropriately, it can be perceived as 
    distancing, threatening, or reprimanding
  - the SG forms are used to express affection in intimate situations, or disrespect and contempt in arguments
  - there is a possibility to use the SG form inappropriately as well, which could be regarded as patronizing
  - the actual usage of thou and you in EModE was variable, in many instances in free variation
     - you gradually became the neutral form of address, either because the lower classes wanted to imitate the upper classes,
       or because the form thou was stigmatized by the usage of lower class
  - by 1700, the SG forms were only preserved in some regional dialects, conservative formal writing, and religious groups (such
    as the Quakers, who reject politeness in favor of a plain style)
  - some dialects later attempted to restore the distinction by creating new PL forms (you guys, y'all..), but they hadn't become
    standard

Zdroj: Laurel J. Brinton, Leslie K. Arnovick. The English Language: A Linguistic History.