FYI: My Left frontal lobe has made a decision:

[capri0mni]

Remember, back in this post, where I said that I wanted to bring back the proper use of "thee" and "thou," alongside "you"?

Well, today, while writing a reply to rob_t_firefly, I decided that if I want those words to be used properly, than I should start using them. Categorical Imperative, and all that (I keep forgetting if that one belongs to Hagel, or Kant).

At least, in writing. I'm not sure I'm up to saying "thee" and "thou" outloud, in the pressence of strangers, who Tend to Get Wrong Ideas About Things (Although, part of the proper use of the second person is that you always use "you" when speaking to strangers, so that makes it easier).

But I'd at least like to get into the habit of thinking thee and thou, properly. For one thing, it will help me keep my direct objects straight from my indirect ones...

Comments

[rob-t-firefly.livejournal.com]

Yay! I inderectly inspire stuff!!

[capriuni.livejournal.com]

Hee! Indeed thou dost.

btw, I like thy icon..

[pedanther]

I was going to say that it should be "FTI", in that case.

But then I remembered that the plural of "thy" is still "your"; not to mention that one wouldn't use "thy" in a general announcement anyway unless one were quite sure of every person who would read it.

Now the question is, did I remember *correctly*? :)

[pedanther]

But because now I'll feel out-of-sorts all day unless I manage to nitpick something properly:

I'm pretty sure Chuck Hagel didn't invent the Categorical Imperative, so it was probably Kant. Unless it was Hegel.

[capriuni.livejournal.com]

But then I remembered that the plural of "thy" is still "your"; not to mention that one wouldn't use "thy" in a general announcement anyway unless one were quite sure of every person who would read it.

That was exactly the thought process that went through my head, as I was writing the post. Specifically, I was thinking that I was addressing my post to my entire f'list (plural), but the in the experience of reading it, it's singular -- only one person at a time is reading the message; it's not being read aloud to a crowd by a herald. But in the end, I figured that the sending trumps the receiving (especially since the receiving is unknown).

'F.T.I.' would be for a private memo to thy sweetie or child, stuck onto the refrigerator with a magnet (See? now I'm addressing this reply to thee, personally, and I trust that I may use the familiar with thee).

did I remember *correctly*? :)

Thou didst. :-)

[pedanther]

I trust that I may use the familiar with thee

Of course.

(Actually, I find that I'm absurdly pleased that you choose to. By doing so, you're arguably not telling me I didn't already know, but it's nice to be told all the same.)

[capriuni.livejournal.com]

Exactly why I want to bring the custom back. :-)

As I said before, telling someone of thy love should not use the same pronoun as notifying someone of a summons to court. Two clearly different meanings...