The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #28939   Message #363021
Posted By: GUEST,NightWing (out)
25-Dec-00 - 04:00 AM
Thread Name: Help: With 'Thee/Thou/Thy
Subject: RE: Help: With 'Thee/Thou/Thy
Sorcha,

I don't think English ever had a second person plural informal. Spanish does:

  Singular Plural
First Person (I/we) yo nosotros
Second Person (you/y'all) Informal vosotros
Second Person Formal Usted Ustedes
Third Person ([s]he/they) el
ella
ellos
ellas

Admittedly, while the second person singular informal is used quite a bit -- in particular, en famille (to mix languages *G*) -- the second person plural informal is almost never used today. It's my understanding that it's only taught in schools so kids can understand writing of three or four generations ago.

BB,
NightWing