tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Feb 13 10:04:45 1995
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Re: 2p pronouns (was: Re: "Bon appetit")
On Mon, 13 Feb 1995, A.Appleyard wrote:
...An excellent history of 2d person pronouns in various languages omitted.
> Likely the Americanisms `youse' and `you-all' were made up by non-English
> immigrants who wanted a distinction as in their own languages between `you one
> only' and `you and you others'.
I have to stand up for very non-immigrant Southerners to inform that "you
all" derives from a simple appositive construction one hears often in the
South to differentiate between an inclusive and exclusive set. Seems
that in/exclusivity was an important feature in our sadly segrational past.
You go home. (to one person, or some--yet not all--of a large group)
You all go home. (to many)
Let's go. (us, likely not including you)
Let's all go. (us, always including you)
About people in Winston-Salem, they smoke cigarettes. (not all of them)
About people in Winston-Salem, they all smoke cigarettes. (all of them)
Interestingly, the forms "w'all" and "th'all" aren't written, but with
the extremely Southern folk, you might hear it that way.
Anthony's description of the Dutch "yullie" with the "llie" from a word
parallel to Deutsch "Leute" is enlightening. Seems us Americans are
duplicating that process by adding "all (the people)"....
Bringing it back to Klingon, possibly the seemingly incorrect "pe-"
prefix grew out of the phrase's usage as a standard "bon appetit" type
expression; with the standard form originally quite correct if it were
being addressed to all the warriors gathered in the great hall to dine on
the day's kill....
<[email protected]> >1 910 759 5532, fax -6142< "Pardon me, but if I must
David E G Sturm, Laboratory Manager operate in a vacuum, can
Wake Forest University Department of Physics I at least have a little
Box 7507 Reynolda Station, Winston-Salem NC 27109 ether to calm my nerves?"