'I'll tell thee thou dost evil'

The importance of 'You' and 'Thou' in Shakespeare's King Lear

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book 'I'll tell thee thou dost evil' by Martin Villwock, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Martin Villwock ISBN: 9783638861915
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: November 20, 2007
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Martin Villwock
ISBN: 9783638861915
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: November 20, 2007
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,7, University of Cologne (Englisches Seminar), course: English Grammar - synchronic and diachronic aspects, 18 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: In Middle English and Early Modern English one could choose either You or Thou (and their respective variants see Simpson et al. 2005: entry Thou, pers., pron., 2nd sing.). Either choice carried a number of implications, depending on the period of time in the language (Barber 1976:204-210). This system, which exists in many (but predominately European) countries is generally referred to as the T/V distinction. Although similar to the German T/V distinction (Blake 1983:6), there is a phenomenon in Early Modern English, particularly in Shakespeare's plays, which sets the You/Thou distinction apart. Whereas in German, French or Italian, it would be very rare and even rude to switch back and forth from T to V or the other way around, this must have happened quite frequently in Early Modern English dialogues (Brown and Gilman 1960:274-275). Eventually, of course, the use of Thou declined leaving the English language with only one second person pronoun, serving all cases without alteration (except possessive Yours and determiner Your) and both singular and plural (Görlach 1991:85). A speaker of Early Modern English consequently had not only the option of choosing T or V once, he or she could also switch within a conversation, sometimes within a single utterance. The choice then would carry certain implications, about the emotions of the speaker, about his fondness or dislike of the addressee, or about the social ranks of both addresser and addressee. As a result, choosing the pronoun became a tool in dialogues that could be used to acknowledge or insult. The T/V distinction will be discussed, its appearance in Early Modern English and particularly Shakespeare's language. Then, in order to attain an achievable amount of research for a paper of this size, one of Shakespeare's plays will be regarded with some detail. The choice fell on King Lear...

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,7, University of Cologne (Englisches Seminar), course: English Grammar - synchronic and diachronic aspects, 18 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: In Middle English and Early Modern English one could choose either You or Thou (and their respective variants see Simpson et al. 2005: entry Thou, pers., pron., 2nd sing.). Either choice carried a number of implications, depending on the period of time in the language (Barber 1976:204-210). This system, which exists in many (but predominately European) countries is generally referred to as the T/V distinction. Although similar to the German T/V distinction (Blake 1983:6), there is a phenomenon in Early Modern English, particularly in Shakespeare's plays, which sets the You/Thou distinction apart. Whereas in German, French or Italian, it would be very rare and even rude to switch back and forth from T to V or the other way around, this must have happened quite frequently in Early Modern English dialogues (Brown and Gilman 1960:274-275). Eventually, of course, the use of Thou declined leaving the English language with only one second person pronoun, serving all cases without alteration (except possessive Yours and determiner Your) and both singular and plural (Görlach 1991:85). A speaker of Early Modern English consequently had not only the option of choosing T or V once, he or she could also switch within a conversation, sometimes within a single utterance. The choice then would carry certain implications, about the emotions of the speaker, about his fondness or dislike of the addressee, or about the social ranks of both addresser and addressee. As a result, choosing the pronoun became a tool in dialogues that could be used to acknowledge or insult. The T/V distinction will be discussed, its appearance in Early Modern English and particularly Shakespeare's language. Then, in order to attain an achievable amount of research for a paper of this size, one of Shakespeare's plays will be regarded with some detail. The choice fell on King Lear...

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Unterrichtsskizze: Was ist fairer Handel? by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Needs Assessment of Jamaica/Queens, New York by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Markedness Theories by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Regional Opportunities of the Fehmarn Belt Link by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Auswirkungen des politischen Verflechtungssystems der Europäischen Union auf die Nationalstaaten am Beispiel Deutschland by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book 650 Jahre Goldene Bulle Karls IV. von 1356 by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Pierre Bourdieu und die Ökonomie des sprachlichen Tauschs by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Die Messung der Kundenzufriedenheit by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Journalism in Transition - Is the Czech Press developing into a democratic media market? by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Subtitling humor - The analysis of selected translation techniques in subtitling elements containing humor by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Teaching EFL Pronunciation: Why, What and How? by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Mexican Immigration by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Criteria for the Appropriate Solution of Problems of Local Importance in Selected EU-Member States by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book Language at War. A Critical Discourse Analysis by Speeches of Bush and Obama on War and Terrorism by Martin Villwock
Cover of the book The presentation of a hybrid identity in Fred Wah´s 'Diamond Grill': Food and habitation as ethnic markers and Chinese Canadians by Martin Villwock
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy