[Lexicog] The Irony of Thou

[bolstar1]

     Most archaic words, by virtue of their use in historical 
documents, connote formality, and verse is filled with such dated 
terms. Non-intuitively, however, "thou" turns the tables on this 
norm. Elizabethan Englanders & newbie-Americans used "thou" only with 
friends, family, and social/academic inferiors (generally 
affectionately). But with strangers, it was considered bad form. As 
an example, Shakespeare used the term (perhaps coining the verbal use 
of the pronoun) in Twelfth Night accordingly:
     
   Twelfth Night 3.02.044-049
     If thou thou'st him some thrice, it shall not be amiss;
     and as many lies as will lie in thy sheet of paper,
     although the sheet were big enough for the bed of
     Ware in England, set 'em down. Go about it. Let
     there be gall enough in thy ink, though thou write
     with a goose-pen, no matter. About it!  (Signet) 

     If thou thou'st him*** 'Thou' instead of 'you' was the form of 
                            address used to friends and social 
                            inferiors; hence an insult to a 
                            r stranger  (Riverside)
     thou'st (verb)*** i.e "use" the familiar 'thou' instead of the 
                        more formal `you'  (Signet
                       See also C.T. Onions for deeper treatment

 
     bed of Ware*** allusion to a famous bedstead [bed frame] -- 
                    almost eleven feet square - formerly in an 
                    inn at Ware in Hertfordshire  (Signet) | This bed 
                    (which may be seen in the Victoria and Albert 
                    Museum, London) is eleven feet square  (Riverside)
     gall*** 1) ingredient of ink  2) acrimony    || vitriol 
             (Nels) | cruel, bitter criticism  (Oxford)
             goose-pen* quill pen made from a goose feather (with an  
             implication that the letter will be couched in foolish 
             terms  (Riv) || pen  (Oni)

NOTE: In reference to the previous posts regarding degrees of 
inclusiveness in lexicons (including thesauruses and glossaries): 
with the use of paperless reference works increasing, increasing 
inclusions of jargon, origins, dated/archaic terms/word-to-phrase 
equivalents/etc. will continue. This extends to re-writeable, fold-
up, info-tainers. 
Oh happy day
for thou and me. 

Scott Nelson





 
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