Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Yes, there is. People will say "thee" to one person, but "you" to many people, which is certainly one of the distinctions between the two. I agree that the "formal/informal" distinction probably has been lost.
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I was thinking of the latter distinction, but you are right. I wonder why the I/we vs. thee/you distinction has remained, while the formal/informal one hasn't. Was the formal distinction ever there in English? In Shakespeare, there is "Assuredly, you know me" directed at Cleopatra (who, one would think, would merit a formal address) - it's not clear to me why this wouldn't be "Assuredly, thou know'st me" or something like that.