[Lexicog] Irony of Thou

[Chaz Mortensen]

I have noticed pretty much what Mike is saying. Having lived some  
time in three Latin countries now, my view is that in each country  
there is gravitation toward one form. As Mike says, Usted is ousting  
tu. Before we went to Costa Rica we were told that 'tu' is not used  
there; "vos" is used instead. But I heard "vos" used only once in a  
natural setting in my four months in CR. I heard 'tu' only when  
people were reading the Bible in church.
Is the reason democratization? You could make a case for it.

In Panama the trend is very much toward 'tu', even between strangers.  
I would attribute that partly to Panama being the crossroads of the  
world and the Spanish having so much English influence. It could also  
be that a sense of solidarity in the lower classes developed because  
of the former American dominance.

In Colombia, where I consider the best Spanish in the world to be  
spoken, the forms of address pretty much follow what you learn in the  
textbooks: "usted" for formal, "tu" for informal. In some regions  
"vos" is used instead of 'tu'. The explanation? Colombia is very  
regionalized and stratified. Some  interesting observations:
-Colombians address their dogs with "usted".
-Married couples normally address each other with 'tu.' But I notice  
when couples were discussing something they would use "usted". When  
it was an argument it was back to "tu"!

-Chaz


 
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