The word you in different languages

I recently found out that French has two different words for «you.»

From here:

Tu is the familiar «you,» which demonstrates a certain closeness and informality. … Vous is the formal «you.» It is used to show respect or maintain a certain distance or formality with someone. … Vous is also the plural «you» — you have to use it when talking to more than one person, no matter how close you are.

French is from the Romance language family, as far as I know.

I was immediately reminded of the verse (Malachi 1:6):

וְאִם-אָב אָנִי אַיֵּה כְבוֹדִי וְאִם-אֲדוֹנִים אָנִי אַיֵּה מוֹרָאִי

This (from Hebrew) literally means: «But if I [G-d] am a father, where is My honor? And if I am masters, where is My fear?» The word «masters» is in the plural, but it uses the word «I» and «My» in the singular! (As a side note, Hebrew has a different word for «you» s. and «you» pl.)

It is interesting to note that the major biblical commentators — among them Rashi, who ordinarily deals with simple questions in the text, such as translations; and Radak and Ibn Ezra, who were both grammarians — don’t address this. The first one to address this was the Metzudos who writes (in Metzudas Tziyon): «It is the practice of the scripture to mention the name of ‘mastery’ in plural language; similarly, ‘The masters of Joseph’ (Gen. 39:20).»

Is there any relation between this French grammar rule and the Hebrew rule, in which the plural is also used for respect? (If there is, it would solve the problem of why Rashi didn’t say anything about it, since he was French.) Is there any known reason how this Semitic language can end up with something that a Romance language has?

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• ye (archaic nominative, dialectal plural)
• ya, yah, yer, yeh, y’, yo, yu, yuh (informal or eye dialect)
• -cha (informal, after /t/)
• -ja (informal, after /d/)
• u (informal, internet)
• yoo (eye dialect)
• yew (obsolete or eye dialect)
• youe, yow, yowe (obsolete)

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English you, yow, ȝow (object case of ye), from Old English ēow (“you”, dative case of ġē), from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz (“you”, dative case of *jīz), Western form of *izwiz (“you”, dative case of *jūz), from Proto-Indo-European *yūs (“you”, plural), *yū́.

Cognate with Scots you (“you”), Saterland Frisian jou (“you”), West Frisian jo (“you”), Low German jo, joe and oe (“you”), Dutch jou and u (“you”), Middle High German eu, iu (“you”, object pronoun), Latin vōs (“you”), Avestan 𐬬𐬋‎ (vō, “you”), Ashkun yë̃́ (“you”), Kamkata-viri šó (“you”), Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyám, “you”)

See usage notes. Ye, you and your are cognate with Dutch jij/je, jou, jouw; Low German ji, jo/ju, jug and German ihr, euch and euer respectively. Ye is also cognate with archaic Swedish I.

Pronunciation[edit]

• (stressed)
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: yo͞o, IPA^(key): /juː/ ^help,
  • (General American) enPR: yo͞o, IPA^(key): /ju/ ^help
  • (General Australian) enPR: yo͞o, IPA^(key): /jʉː/
  • Rhymes: -uː
• (unstressed)
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: yo͞o, IPA^(key): /ju/
  • (General American, General Australian) enPR: yə, IPA^(key): /jə/ ^help
• Homophones: ewe, u, yew, yu, hew (in h-dropping dialects), hue (in h-dropping dialects)

When a word ending in /t/, /d/, /s/, or /z/ is followed by you, these may coalesce with the /j/, resulting in /tʃ/, /dʒ/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/, respectively. This is occasionally represented in writing, e.g. gotcha (from got you) or whatcha doin’? (more formally what are you doing?).

Pronoun[edit]

you (second person, singular or plural, nominative or objective, possessive determiner your, possessive pronoun yours, singular reflexive yourself, plural reflexive yourselves)

1. (object pronoun) The people spoken, or written to, as an object. [from 9th c.]

   Both of you should get ready now.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 42:14, column 1:

     And Ioſeph ſaid vnto them, That is it that I ſpake vnto you, ſaying, Ye are ſpies.

2. (reflexive, now US colloquial) (To) yourselves, (to) yourself. [from 9th c.]

   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     If I may counsaile you, some day or two / Your Highnesse shall repose you at the Tower […].

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis XIX::

     And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city.

   • 1970, Donald Harington, Lightning Bug:

     ‘Pull you up a chair,’ she offered.

   • 1975, Joseph Nazel, Death for Hire:

     You’d better get you a gun and kill him before he kills you or somebody.

3. (object pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as an object. (Replacing thee; originally as a mark of respect.) [from 13th c.]
   • c. 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VIII:

     I charge you, as ye woll have my love, that ye warne your kynnesmen that ye woll beare that day the slyve of golde uppon your helmet.

4. (subject pronoun) The people spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Replacing ye.) [from 14th c.]

   You are all supposed to do as I tell you.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Are you excited? ― Yes, I am excited!

5. (subject pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Originally as a mark of respect.) [from 15th c.]
   • c. 1395, Geoffrey Chaucer, «The Clerk’s Tale», Canterbury Tales, Ellesmere manuscript (c. 1410):

     certes lord / so wel vs liketh yow / And al youre werk / and euere han doon / þat we / Ne koude nat vs self deuysen how / We myghte lyuen / in moore felicitee […].

   • 1814 July, [Jane Austen], chapter IX, in Mansfield Park: […], volume II, London: […] T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 208:

     You are right, Fanny, to protest against such an office, but you need not be afraid.

7. (indefinite personal pronoun) Anyone, one; an unspecified individual or group of individuals (as subject or object). [from 16th c.]
   • 2001, Polly Vernon, The Guardian, 5 May 2001:

     You can’t choose your family, your lovers are difficult and volatile, but, oh, you can choose your friends — so doesn’t it make much more sense to live and holiday with them instead?

Usage notes[edit]

• Originally, you was specifically plural (indicating multiple people), and specifically the object form (serving as the object of a verb or preposition; like us as opposed to we). The subject pronoun was ye, and the corresponding singular pronouns were thee and thou, respectively. In some forms of (older) English, you and ye doubled as polite singular forms, e.g. used in addressing superiors, with thee and thou being the non-polite singular forms. In the 1600s, some writers objected to the use of «singular you»^[1] (compare objections to the singular they), but in modern English thee and thou are archaic and all but nonexistent and you is used for both the singular and the plural.
• Several forms of English now distinguish singular you from various marked plural forms, such as you guys, y’all, you-uns, or youse, though not all of these are completely equivalent or considered Standard English.
• The pronoun you is usually, but not always, omitted in imperative sentences. In affirmatives, it may be included before the verb (You go right ahead; You stay out of it); in negative imperatives, it may be included either before the don’t, or (more commonly) after it (Don’t you dare go in there; Don’t you start now).
• The pronoun you is also used in an indefinite sense: the generic you.
• See Appendix:English parts of speech for other personal pronouns.

Synonyms[edit]

• (subject pronoun: person spoken/written to):

  yer (UK eye dialect)

  plus the alternative forms listed above and at Appendix:English personal pronouns

• (subject pronoun: persons spoken/written to; plural): See Thesaurus:y’all
• (object pronoun: person spoken/written to): thee (singular, archaic), ye, to you, to thee, to ye
• (object pronoun: persons spoken/written to): ye, to you, to ye, to you all
• (one): one, people, they, them

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

• Belizean Creole: yu
• Bislama: yu
• Cameroon Pidgin: you
• Jamaican Creole: yuh
• Nigerian Pidgin: yu
• Sranan Tongo: yu
• Tok Pisin: yu
• Torres Strait Creole: yu

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Determiner[edit]

you

1. The individual or group spoken or written to.

   Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus?

2. Used before epithets, describing the person being addressed, for emphasis.

   You idiot!

   • 2015, Judi Curtin, Only Eva, The O’Brien Press, →ISBN:

     ‘You genius!’ I shouted in Aretta’s ear. ‘You absolute genius! Why didn’t you tell us you were so good?’

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

you (third-person singular simple present yous, present participle youing, simple past and past participle youed)

2. (transitive) To address (a person) using the pronoun you (in the past, especially to use you rather than thou, when you was considered more formal).
   • 1930, Barrington Hall, Modern Conversation, Brewer & Warren, page 239:

     Youing consists in relating everything in the conversation to the person you wish to flatter, and introducing the word “you” into your speech as often as possible.

   • 1992, Barbara Anderson, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Victoria University Press, page 272:

     Now even Princess Anne had dropped it. Sarah had heard her youing away on television the other night just like the inhabitants of her mother’s dominions beyond the seas.

   • 2004, Ellen Miller, Brooklyn Noir, Akashic Books, «Practicing»:

     But even having my very own personal pronoun was risky, because it’s pretty tough to keep stopped-hope stopped up when you are getting all youed up, when someone you really like keeps promising you scary, fun, exciting stuff—and even tougher for the of that moment to remain securely devoid of hope, to make smart, self-denying decisions with Dad youing me—the long ooo of it broad and extended, like a hand.

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

you (plural yous)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter U.
   • 2004 Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, p. 170

     It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, «Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh.»

Alternative forms[edit]

• u

References[edit]

Cameroon Pidgin[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• yu

Etymology[edit]

From English you.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ju/

Pronoun[edit]

you

1. thou, thee, 2nd person singular subject and object personal pronoun

See also[edit]

Japanese[edit]

Romanization[edit]

you

1. Rōmaji transcription of よう

See also[edit]

• yō

Karawa[edit]

Noun[edit]

you

1. water

References[edit]

• transnewguinea.org, citing D. C. Laycock, Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea (1968), Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66

Leonese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Leonese yo, from Vulgar Latin eo (attested from the 6th century), from Latin ego, from Proto-Italic *egō; akin to Greek εγώ (egó), Sanskrit अहम् (aham), all from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂.

Pronoun[edit]

you

1. I

See also[edit]

Mandarin[edit]

Romanization[edit]

you

1. Nonstandard spelling of yōu.
2. Nonstandard spelling of yóu.
3. Nonstandard spelling of yǒu.
4. Nonstandard spelling of yòu.

Usage notes[edit]

• Transcriptions of Mandarin speech into the Roman alphabet often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

you

1. Alternative form of yow

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

you

1. (chiefly Northern and East Midland dialectal) Alternative form of þou

Mirandese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Leonese you, from Vulgar Latin eo (attested from the 6th century), from Latin ego.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /jow/

Pronoun[edit]

you

1. I (the first-person singular pronoun)

   • 2008, Picä Tumilho (band) (music), “Ai que cochino!!! (ver. II)”, in Faíçca: Ua stória d’amor i laboura:

     I you cun muita fuorça spetei bien la faca

     And I strongly skewered (with) the knife.

Pouye[edit]

Noun[edit]

you

1. water

References[edit]

• transnewguinea.org, citing D. C. Laycock, Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea (1968), Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66

Takia[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Bargam yuw and Waskia yu.^[1]

Noun[edit]

you

1. water

References[edit]

• Malcolm Ross, Andrew Pawley, Meredith Osmond, The Lexicon of Proto-Oceanic: The Culture and Environment (2007, →ISBN

Terebu[edit]

Noun[edit]

you

1. fire

Further reading[edit]

• Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)