Re: How and why did English lose "thou"

On 21/05/2025 10:01 p.m., Stefan Ram wrote:

Grimble Crumble <grimblecrumble870@gmail.com> wrote or quoted:

                  how come "thou" was lost?

    According to "You und thou: Studien zur Anrede im Englischen"
   (1963) - Thomas Finkenstaedt, the reason "thou" dropped out
   of English had a lot to do with what was going on in the 1600s:
    - There was a big argument with the Quakers about using "thou."
     A lot of folks quit saying it so people would not think they
     were Quakers.

The Quakers used "thou" to everyone because they rejected the idea that some people deserved more respect than others. The story goes that George Fox was thrown out of his home because he insisted on addressing his father with "thou".