Re: Verbal Inflection for Formality

Quoting Eldin Raigmore <eldin_raigmore@...>:

> ---In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> wrote:
> >Quoting Eldin Raigmore <eldin_raigmore@...>:
> >>Furthermore, in European languages such as French, the equivalent
> >>of "vous" when addressed to just one person -- in other words, formal
> >>second person singular rather than second person plural -- requires
> >>plural agreement in the verb. "Tu" gets singular agreement, but the
> >>formal "vous" gets plural agreement even if it is addressed to just one
> >>person.
> >
> >In German, the formal _Sie_ takes *3rd* person plural agreement, differing
> >from the familiar _du_ (sg) and _ihr_ (pl).
> >Eg: du bist, ihr seid, Sie sind.
> >                                               Andreas
>
> Yes.  German, and ISTR Dutch, have formal-second-person-singular forms that
> were formally third-person; as I mentioned in an earlier paragraph of the
> post to which Andreas is replying.
I appear to've missed that paragraph. My apologies.

[snippety-snip-snip]
> in the case of an honorific
> speaker and a humble addresse, from a command to a declarative (either "I
> desire that ..." or "he or she (the addressee) will ...").
ObMyConlang: In Tairezazh, formal declaratives ("X will do Y") are the usual way
of giving orders. I haven't worked out the sociolinguistic history behind this
yet, but it pressumably derives form of status-marking.

The historical imperative remains, but doesn't have the force of a command; it's
used for giving suggestions and for indicating what you'd like people to do
("pass me the salt").

                                                     Andreas