Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 31

Thread: Is English More Informal?

  1. #21
    Veteran Member
    Apricity Funding Member
    "Friend of Apricity"

    Oneeye's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Last Online
    01-08-2022 @ 01:35 PM
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Germanic
    Ethnicity
    Anglo American
    Ancestry
    Anglo/German/Dutch/Norse American
    Country
    United States
    Region
    Oregon
    Y-DNA
    E-V12
    mtDNA
    T2f1
    Politics
    Right
    Hero
    Evola
    Religion
    Traditionalist
    Gender
    Posts
    12,879
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 23,081
    Given: 56,859

    1 Not allowed!

    Default

    I use Sir, Mr, and Mrs. regularly when working with elderly people.

  2. #22
    Banned
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Last Online
    04-24-2015 @ 10:39 PM
    Ethnicity
    .
    Country
    United States
    Region
    Durham City
    Hero
    Melonhead the Messiah
    Gender
    Posts
    3,939
    Blog Entries
    1
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 2,480
    Given: 1,373

    1 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Comte Arnau View Post
    Actually, thou was the informal one, the equivalent to German du or Latin tu.
    So "you" was the formal then, and thou was informal. So it's still wrong to say English doesn't have a formal 'you'.

    Anyway, there's no reason to think English is any less "formal" than other languages. What exactly are the parameters for judging how formal a language is?

  3. #23
    Jägerstaffel
    Guest

    2 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Comte Arnau View Post
    Actually, thou was the informal one, the equivalent to German du or Latin tu.
    This is quite right. Modern English speakers associate thou with a more respectful meaning than you due in a large part to the holdover phrases that we have from the Bible and from Shakespeare. The truth is that thou was used in informal contexts and with close members of the family - and similarly with the almighty with whom many feel a personal relationship.

  4. #24
    Jägerstaffel
    Guest

    1 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Musso View Post
    English doesn't have formal 'you' , hence it is a language of peasants.
    There is a theory that English speakers adopted "you" in all cases as a form of respect. It was more polite to refer to others, especially if their social standing was unknown to you, with "you" rather than assuming they were on the same level as you and using "thou". It doesn't make much sense to call English a language of peasants if it adapted one of its most often used words as a method of being polite.

  5. #25
    My Countship is not of this world Comte Arnau's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Last Online
    06-18-2015 @ 02:38 AM
    Location
    Catalan Nation
    Meta-Ethnicity
    European (Romanic)
    Ethnicity
    Catalan
    Ancestry
    Pyrenean
    Country
    European Union
    Region
    Catalunya
    Taxonomy
    W/S Europid
    Politics
    Sovereigntism
    Religion
    Cult to Pyrene
    Gender
    Posts
    10,810
    Blog Entries
    3
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 2,755
    Given: 1,407

    3 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by McCauley View Post
    So "you" was the formal then, and thou was informal. So it's still wrong to say English doesn't have a formal 'you'.

    Anyway, there's no reason to think English is any less "formal" than other languages. What exactly are the parameters for judging how formal a language is?
    I didn't say it was less 'formal'. All languages have their own ways of expressing formality, English included. Maybe English has lost the 'thou-you' distinction, but the use of May/Could/Would, Please, Sir/Madam, and so on are the ones used now for the same purpose.
    < La Catalogne peut se passer de l'univers entier, et ses voisins ne peuvent se passer d'elle. > Voltaire

  6. #26
    Veteran Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Last Online
    12-19-2018 @ 01:41 PM
    Ethnicity
    Sicilian
    Country
    United States
    Gender
    Posts
    2,335
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 4,482
    Given: 5,214

    0 Not allowed!

    Default

    English doesn't have a formal 'you' any more, and in Dutch we say 'my lord' and 'my lady', can't get more polite than that.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jägerstaffel View Post
    There is a theory that English speakers adopted "you" in all cases as a form of respect. It was more polite to refer to others, especially if their social standing was unknown to you, with "you" rather than assuming they were on the same level as you and using "thou". It doesn't make much sense to call English a language of peasants if it adapted one of its most often used words as a method of being polite.
    Which defeats the point; if you are overly polite to everyone you're really polite to no one.

  7. #27
    Banned
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Last Online
    11-24-2016 @ 02:18 AM
    Location
    Santa Catarina
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Romance
    Ethnicity
    Azorean-Catarinense (Homo sapiens nobilis)
    Country
    Portugal
    Region
    Santa Catarina
    Taxonomy
    [Updating... 10%]
    Politics
    Separatist.
    Hero
    Ana Maria de Jesus Ribeiro Garibaldi (Anita Garibaldi)
    Religion
    Roman Catholic
    Gender
    Posts
    6,053
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 6,787
    Given: 3,908

    0 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kkk77 View Post
    I wouldn't use vocź to a teacher in University.

    I have some colleagues who would refer to the teacher as ele/ela, while speaking with me, with the teacher nearby. That sounds so wrong to me.
    Vocź is more formal than anything, since it comes from Vossa Mercź.

  8. #28
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Last Online
    01-05-2024 @ 08:15 PM
    Ethnicity
    White
    Country
    Portugal
    Hero
    9
    Gender
    Posts
    342
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 160
    Given: 71

    1 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Comte Arnau View Post
    I didn't say it was less 'formal'. All languages have their own ways of expressing formality, English included. Maybe English has lost the 'thou-you' distinction, but the use of May/Could/Would, Please, Sir/Madam, and so on are the ones used now for the same purpose.
    Interesting that "may/could/would" seems to be universally used to show respect.
    In Portuguese, when asking something we may say "queria um Big Mac" (literally I wanted a Big Mac), and some may joke "do you wanted or do you want?", or "don't you want it any more?".

    Quote Originally Posted by Dictator View Post
    Vocź is more formal than anything, since it comes from Vossa Mercź.
    Not any more.

  9. #29
    Banned
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Last Online
    11-24-2016 @ 02:18 AM
    Location
    Santa Catarina
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Romance
    Ethnicity
    Azorean-Catarinense (Homo sapiens nobilis)
    Country
    Portugal
    Region
    Santa Catarina
    Taxonomy
    [Updating... 10%]
    Politics
    Separatist.
    Hero
    Ana Maria de Jesus Ribeiro Garibaldi (Anita Garibaldi)
    Religion
    Roman Catholic
    Gender
    Posts
    6,053
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 6,787
    Given: 3,908

    0 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kkk77 View Post
    Interesting that "may/could/would" seems to be universally used to show respect.
    In Portuguese, when asking something we may say "queria um Big Mac" (literally I wanted a Big Mac), and some may joke "do you wanted or do you want?", or "don't you want it any more?".


    Not any more.
    It still is formal, misuse of it won't change what the word is.

  10. #30
    Veteran Member
    Apricity Funding Member
    "Friend of Apricity"

    Rędwald's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Last Online
    Today @ 05:06 PM
    Location
    Vķnland, Mišgaršr
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Celto-Germanic
    Ethnicity
    North-West European, minor North-Amerindian
    Ancestry
    British Isles (77%) Scandinavia (10%) France (9%) North-Amerindian (4%)
    Country
    Canada
    Y-DNA
    I-L233
    mtDNA
    X2b4
    Taxonomy
    Keltic Nordid / Atlantid
    Politics
    Conservative
    Religion
    North-Sea Aesthetic
    Relationship Status
    In a relationship
    Gender
    Posts
    7,041
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 15,396
    Given: 15,499

    2 Not allowed!

    Default

    If English speaking people used formal language in an everyday setting you would look like the biggest autist on Earth.
    Anglo Saxon + Frank (4.336)
    Viking Danish + Frank (4.338)
    Gael + Frank (4.39)
    Anglo Saxon (4.393)
    Viking Danish + Anglo Saxon (4.568)

Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 138
    Last Post: 12-27-2019, 02:42 AM
  2. Replies: 10
    Last Post: 06-22-2017, 10:22 PM
  3. Replies: 95
    Last Post: 11-04-2013, 02:30 PM
  4. Alguna vez haz recurrido al Auto Empleo, o Actividad informal?
    By Bobby Six Killer in forum Latin America
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 04-19-2013, 08:59 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •