Origin & Evolution of Languages

[Dennis King]

Ar 1:49 PM -0400 6/14/99, scríobh JoatSimeon at aol.com:

>>In other European languages, such as French, Russian, and German, there are
>>definite social and cultural protocols about the circumstances in which one
>>should use intimate or formal "you" forms.

>-- there were in English in the 17th century as well.  "Thee" corresponded
>exactly with French "tu" or German "du" -- it was used to intimates, social
>inferiors, and children.  "You" was used to superiors; it was the
>formal/deferential mode.

Unlike the languages mentioned, Irish has always used "tu/" for the
singular and "sibh" for the plural, and the latter has never been a
formal/deferential singular.  It's quite interesting, however, that
Scottish Gaelic, as it emerged as a separate language, followed the
more widespread European convention of using the plural pronoun
"sibh" as a singular of respect.  My pet theory is that the Scottish
Gaelic innovation is somehow linked to the spread of Calvanism in
those parts, but that's just a wild guess.

Question: what was the convention among the Greeks and Romans in this
regard at the height of their civilizations?

Dennis King