Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Shakespeare, William, --1564-1616--King Richard II; King Richard II (Shakespeare, William);
Abstract
The English language has undergone many changes since its evolution from the Teutonic dialects. It has become simplified in many ways; one area of simplification is in the second person pronoun. Originally nine different forms of the Old English pronoun of address appeared, while today only three {you, your, yours) remain. Although ambiguity can and does result from only one form in the nominative and objective case (i.e., whether you is singular or plural in reference), the English-speaking people have reduced the pronoun to the same nominative and objective form as a means of linguistic economy. The problem of ambiguity is clarified by context and not by grammatical case and number as originally was done.
Year of Submission
1967
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of English Language and Literature
First Advisor
John Cowley
Second Advisor
Gordon J. Rhum
Third Advisor
Ralph Goodman
Date Original
1967
Object Description
1 PDF file (122 leaves)
Copyright
©1967 Mary Janet de Jong Conley
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Conley, Mary Janet de Jong, "The English Second Person Pronoun: Its History and Its Significance in Shakespeare’s Richard II" (1967). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2364.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2364
Comments
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