Fwd: Second person singular

[Joel S. Berson]

A correspondent on another list asks:
>Are there any really good in-depth studies or explanations of why
>the second person singular went out of use in English in
>this  period? [That is, the 18th century.]
>It remained in use in most other languages, so the explanataion must
>be peculiar to English speakers.
>Was it just that the second person plural is shorter and has fewer
>consonants e.g. "you know " rather than "thou knowest" - or is there
>a better explanation?

Joel

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