Abstract
Only in the dialects of Yorkshire in Northern England and through the sustained efforts among the Quakers in the United States has England retained a singular and a plural version of the second pronoun "YOU". Many languages however have a singular and a plural form, as in French: TU singular and VOUS plural. Where this distinction exists, it is usual for the singular form to be restricted in its use to those between whom there is a certain degree of intimacy. The plural form is thus used not only in addressing more than one person, but to one person alone as a way of expressing formality, respect or social distance. Usually the distinction would be discernable throughout speech, because the selection of the pronoun will determine verb forms and possessives. (From this point on, the French terms TU and VOUS will be used as a shorthand for the singular and plural 2nd person pronouns respectively, unless a specific language is being referred to.) Although this socio-linguistic phenomenon is not confined to European languages, Brown and Gilman1 provide a reasonable explanation based on European history for the equation of plurality with formality. The respectful use of VOUS to one person is traced to ancient Rome. Quoting Chatelaines's 19th century work Du Pluriel de Respect en latin? regarding the plural of respect in Latin, they explain that in the fourth century there were actually two emperors, one in Rome and one in Constantinople, with unified authority. The plural form VOS was used in speaking to one with the implication that both were addressed. It is further suggested that the emperor may have been used NOS (We) to refer to himself as "the summation of his people, in which case VOS is the "simple reciprocal" of NOS. This set a precedent for the use of the plural to people of high office and leaders of organizations in general. In the same article, "The Pronouns of Power and Solidarity," Brown and Gilman analyze the factors involved in the selection of TU and VOUS
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