Re: French & Eng. vis-a-vis Dutch WAS: 2nd pers. pron. for God

En réponse à Muke Tever <mktvr@...>:

>
> Though in a great many people who don't know what "thou" meant, the
> archaicness
> feature attracts formality and not familiarity, which somewhat reverses
> the
> situation.
>
But not in French, where 'tu' is still the normal informal address pronoun. The
explication I've heard is being formal with God would be putting a barrier
between you and Him. God is not a superior, or a distant figure. He's there,
near each of us, with each of us, and he is our friend.

When France still used "Vous" for God, the view of God Himself was completely
different. Back then he was viewed as a distant and easily angered ruler, who
didn't accept anybody disobeying Him. Very far from the view of God as an all-
loving all-forgiving fatherly figure. So you can imagine why we switched
from "Vous" to "Tu" :)) .

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.