The use of 'you' and 'thou' in Early Modern English texts compared to their use in spoken language of the time has been subject of debate for many years, but no consensus has yet been reached....Show moreThe use of 'you' and 'thou' in Early Modern English texts compared to their use in spoken language of the time has been subject of debate for many years, but no consensus has yet been reached. Several case studies and comprehensive studies of various text types have been performed, but hardly any of the previous studies compared different text types with each other. By combining statistical analysis with a detailed interpretation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and comparing the results to those found in sixteenth century court records and letters, a new attempt has been made to uncover a general model for the use of 'you' and 'thou' in spoken language of the Early Modern English period.Show less
