Re: How and why did English lose "thou"

On 2025-05-20 21:14:57 +0000, Grimble Crumble said:

Stefan Ram <ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de> wrote:

ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) wrote or quoted:

Other languages kept the whole formal/informal thing

 So, I've noticed that calling someone "Sir" in English kind of
lines up with how we use the more formal "Sie" in German, where
there's a bit of distance. On the other hand, if you use "dude",
it feels a lot more familiar, like the German "Du".
 But it also depends on where you are. Like, if a woman in
the audience asks a question during a talk, a speaker in
the South might call her "Ma'am!" to bring her into the
conversation. If you tried that in England, though, you
might get, "Please don't call me 'Ma'am'!"
  

 Well thanks for the explanation

Be careful, though, with what Stefan says: he invents a lot of stuff. The last sentence strikes me as nonsensical speculation. I'd be exceedingly surprised if he's ever heard anyone in England say "Please don't call me 'Ma'am'". I certainly haven't, in 82 years.
--
Athel cb