SarahJ's Guide to Game's Middle English

[Domi]

And just a little request that the Dynaheir person teaches her how to use the 'thou' formation properly!

 

Well, the basics are:

 

"Thou" is the subject form. Example: You are mad. --> Thou art mad.

"Thee" is the object form. Example: Let me aid you. --> Let me aid thee.

"Thy" is the genitive, and it turns into "thine" when the following word starts with a vocal (some also use this form when the next word starts with an "h"). Examples: thy sword, thine axe.

 

The PLURAL "you" is usually unchanged, but sometimes "ye" is used in formal speech.

 

In the present tense, the verb ending for 2nd person singular is -(e)st, and the ending for the 3rd person singular is -(e)th. Examples:

 

I do, thou dost, he doth.

I have, thou hast, she hath.

I speak, thou speakest, he speaketh.

I am, thou art, she is (irregular)

 

Also:

 

I was, thou wert, he was

I did, thou didst, she did

I have been, thou hast been, he hath been

I had gone, thou hadst gone, she had gone

I will go, thou wilt go, he will go

 

Finally, "it is" and "it was" are usually contracted into 'tis and 'twas.

 

Don't worry about Dynaheir's speech, Medraut. Sarah J knows what she's doing.

 

I'm also blocked when it comes to thinking up dialogues, it seems.

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[Sillara of the Tamari]

Also, thine is the second-person singular equivalent to "mine." This is mine; that is thine.

 

Sillara

[Guest Fatjohn]

That's the problem with trying to use Latin grammar definitions for English. Really, "my, thy" and "mine, thine" are different cases, but the closest equivalent Latin has for the possessive cases is the genitive, so both English cases get lumped together.

 

Another note, archaic usage often reflects formal/familiar relationships. One would address a subordinate or close peer as thou, such as a servant, a child, a sibling, a close friend, but a stranger or superior as you. One would be addressed by the king as "thou," but one had better call the king "you." Naturally, the lower class the character, the less formal he will be. A wealthy bourgeois merchant would likely address his close business associates as you, even if he's known them for years, but someone from the lower classes may well address even casual acquaintances as thou.

 

However, thou is always singular. One kid would be thou; a gaggle of brats would be you.

[Sillara of the Tamari]

Umm, yes, the plural IS considered the more formal/polite of the two forms. It is still the case in, say, Italian, where both the singular and plural of the second person are in common use. In addition, I suspect this plural=higher-ranking may have something to do with monarchs' royal "we." (That aspect is not researched, however; it is just my intuition.)

 

Sillara