Re: Methods of Question-Forming

John Cowan wrote:
> Jake X scripsit:
>
>
>>OK, I give in.  But I'm curious now.  When did thou and you switch places
>>in formality?  Logically, thou should be the more intimate one.
>
>
> Historically, it was, and it was used in addressing not only friends and
> family but also God, the Ultimate Intimate, and so used in the King James
> and Douay Versions.  In "Our Father, who/which art in heaven", the "art"
> shows the intimate form is implicit.  When all other uses were lost,
> these texts remained important, and so "thou" came to be thought of as
> a version of "you" for occasions of ceremony.
Also possibly because archaic forms are frequently thought of as being
more formal.