General > Roleplaying
Frequently misused archaic words
Odran:
The following list shows early modern pronouns and verb conjugations. The pronouns are shown in both the subjective and objective cases, as well as the verb suffix:
1st Person Singular: I know me.
1st per Plural: We know us.
2nd Person Informal Singular: Thou knowest thee.
2nd Person Formal Singular: Ye know you.
2nd Person Plural: Ye know you.
3rd Person Masculine Singular: He knoweth him.
3rd Person Feminine Singular: She knoweth her.
3rd Person Neuter Singular: It knoweth it.
3rd Person Plural: They know them.
The word "thou" and it related forms: thee, thy, & thine, are informal, and would generally be used when addressing inferiors or close friends in an informal setting. It is part the "T–V distinction" seen in many European languages, in which the plural form 2nd person pronoun is used to address a singular stranger or superior, somewhat like the majestic plural. In most dialects of English, the 2nd person singular has dropped from common usage, as all people are now addressed as gentry. For example, every man is addressed as "Mister" or "Sir" and is properly called a "gentleman", as in the phrase "Ladies and gentlemen".
The usage of the (informal) 2nd person singular was retained in translations up until the early 20th century, primarily to maintain the distinction between the singular and plural 2nd person seen in the original text.
Whisper Moonson:
Thank you, Odran! That was probably much more concise than what I would've written, and it covered just about all the bases. I'll only add the following for reinforcement:
Verb forms for 1st person singular or plural, 2nd person formal or plural, and 3rd person plural work just like they do in modern English.
Verb forms for 2nd person informal singular tend to receive the -st suffix (do = dost, get = getst/getest, conjugate = conjugatest, etc.).
Verb forms for 3rd person singular (whatever the gender) tend to receive the -th suffix (do = doth, get = getteth, lecture = lectureth, etc.).
So if you want to say "GTFO" to a close acquaintance or someone of lower social rank, you say "Thou! Gettest the **** out!" You can even add a "sirrah," if they're of lower rank.
Thanks to everyone for their contributions! All good stuff. I will clarify that "forsooth" pretty much means "for sure" or "in truth" or "amen" or "yeah, rock on!"
Alric:
If you want to get a handle on this stuff really quickly, grab yourself a king james bible and read until you get a good feel for it (I'd say Shakespeare, but the bible's easier to follow). Pick a fun book like Judges, Samuel 1 and 2, or Kings 1 and 2 - they're all about history and battles and fun stuff. If you read enough, you'll start to learn the difference between knoweth / knowest, and thee / thou unconsciously, without having to look back at Odran's fantastic but complicated list.
Malpan:
Quote from: Alric on April 13, 2012, 12:31:08 am>>>>If you want to get a handle on this stuff really quickly, grab yourself a king james bible and read until you get a good feel for it (I'd say Shakespeare, but the bible's easier to follow). [...] If you read enough, you'll start to learn the difference between knoweth / knowest, and thee / thou unconsciously[...]
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But, if you go with Shakespeare, you get the added bonus of unconsciously learning to speak in iambic pentametre.
Ravus:
Quote from: Malpan on April 13, 2012, 12:40:14 am>>>>Quote from: Alric on April 13, 2012, 12:31:08 am>>>>If you want to get a handle on this stuff really quickly, grab yourself a king james bible and read until you get a good feel for it (I'd say Shakespeare, but the bible's easier to follow). [...] If you read enough, you'll start to learn the difference between knoweth / knowest, and thee / thou unconsciously[...]
<<<<
But, if you go with Shakespeare, you get the added bonus of unconsciously learning to speak in iambic pentametre.
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and the odd 17th century dick joke!
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