þou

== Middle English == === Etymology 1 === From Old English þū, from Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂. ==== Alternative forms ==== thou, þu, thu, þoue, thoue, þowe, thowe, þouȝ, thouȝ, þue, ðhu, þeu, þeou, thugh, thogh, þo, tu, tou, towe, you ==== Pronunciation ==== (stressed) IPA(key): /θuː/, /ðuː/ (unstressed) IPA(key): /ðu/ (after /t/, /d/, especially early) IPA(key): /tuː/, /tu/ ==== Pronoun ==== þou (accusative þe, genitive þin, possessive determiner þi, þin) thou (second-person singular pronoun); you ===== Usage notes ===== From around 1300, a T–V distinction emerged in Middle English where formal ye was used to address one's superiors, elders or others to whom one might wish to show politeness or respect, while informal þou was used to address inferiors and younger generations. When both speakers were of approximately equal status, the rules regarding the use of informal þou and formal ye were relatively fluid: speakers could indiscriminately alternate between them or employ them to provide subtle emotional cues, such as "moments of emotional intensity or intimacy" in courtly relationships or as a demonstration of contempt or disapproval. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== English: thou, tha (Yorkshire, Lancashire), thow, thu, du (Scotland), thoo (Orkney), yͧ (obsolete) Fingallian: thoo Scots: thou, du, thoo Yola: thou, th' ===== See also ===== ===== References ===== === Etymology 2 === ==== Adverb ==== þou alternative form of thogh ==== Conjunction ==== þou alternative form of thogh