polite/formal

[John Dunn]

Apparently not.  According to sources at my immediate disposal, the use of Lei originates from feminine honorifics, such as La Vostra Signoria (cf. Romanian dumneavoastră), La Vostra Eccellenza (ah, those were the days).  

It is my impression that the Italian standard for this area of usage is of very recent origin.  There seems to be an element of compromise, since unlike in other languages that use third person for formal address, such as German and Polish, the formal/informal distinction exists for most practical purposes only in the singular: in the plural all-purpose voi is normally preferred to the notional plural of Lei (Loro).

John Dunn.   

-----Original Message-----
From: Deborah Hoffman <lino59 at AMERITECH.NET>
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2005 06:50:19 -0800
Subject: [SEELANGS] polite/formal

I've often been intrigued by this fact in standard
Italian, as many of the dialects (or what came to be
considered dialects after Italian unification) use
"voi" for the formal.  Getting further off course from
Slavics, I've often wondered if this usage was grafted
into the Florentine dialect from the German and hence
made its way into what came to be the preferred form
of Italian.


John Dunn
SMLC (Slavonic Studies)
University of Glasgow
Hetheringon Building
Bute Gardens
Glasgow G12 8RS
U.K.

Tel.: +44 (0)141 330 5591
Fax: +44 (0)141 330 2297
e-mail: J.Dunn at slavonic.arts.gla.ac.uk

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