Origin & Evolution of Languages

[Rick Mc Callister]

	In many European languages [I don't know the details of all], the
king was addressed in the familiar by commoners, supposedly because he was
God's representative on Earth

>In a message dated 6/15/99 8:31:53 PM Mountain Daylight Time,
>stevegus at aye.net writes:

><< Curious, how this got turned almost exactly on its head.  To the extent
>that
> "thou" is still understood, it is a form of address restricted to Exalted
>Personages, like God, or Richard III, or the Mighty Thor. >>

>-- oddly enough, God was usually addressed in the familiar form as well.  You
>certainly wouldn't call the King "thee", though.