SgtFusion
16 Nov 2008, 00:08
Some people seem to think that speaking in the English of the 16th - 17th centuries consists of adding "est" and "eth" on to the end of random words (be they nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs), and using "ye" and "thou" and "thee" interchangeably in place of "you". So I decided to make a guide to correct such people.
1. Second person singular pronouns:
thou: Nominative case (the thing/person performing the action)
thee: Objective case (the thing to which the action is directed)
thy/thine: Genitive case (possessive case, second person equivalent to my/mine)
2. Second person plural pronouns:
ye: Nominative case (defined above)
you: Objective case only
your/yours: Same as present day English
3. "thou", "thee", "thy/thine" and "ye", "you", "your/yours" are not interchangeable.
4. The verb ending "est" or "st" should only be added to the end of verbs in the present tense singular second person conjugation (in normal English, this means talking about the person you're talking to about something that is happening now) as in "Thou slayest."
5. The verb ending "eth" should only be used where the verb ending "s" or "es" would be used in present day English, as in "He slayeth."
6. "art" should only be used in the singular second person present tense.
7. "Extra" words for where, here, and there:
whence (from where): Origin, as in "Whence comest thou?"
where: Location, as in "Where art thou?"
whither (to where): Destination, as in "Whither goest thou?"
hence (from here): Origin.*
here: Location.
hither (to here): Destination.
thence (from there): Origin.**
there: Location.
thither (to there): Destination.
*Note: "hence" can also mean "from now" or "from this time", as in "henceforth".
**Note: "thence" can also mean "from then" or "from that time" as in "thenceforth".
8. The word "ye" as an old spelling for "the" comes from the fact that "th" was represented in Old and Middle English by a single letter, called "thorn"(Þþ). When the printing press was invented, there was nothing available to print "thorn"(Þþ), so they had to use "y" instead, before they decided to use "th" to represent that sound. So "ye" as in "the" should be pronounced the same as "the" (e.g. "Ye Olde Booke Shoppe" should be said "The Old Book Shop").
1. Second person singular pronouns:
thou: Nominative case (the thing/person performing the action)
thee: Objective case (the thing to which the action is directed)
thy/thine: Genitive case (possessive case, second person equivalent to my/mine)
2. Second person plural pronouns:
ye: Nominative case (defined above)
you: Objective case only
your/yours: Same as present day English
3. "thou", "thee", "thy/thine" and "ye", "you", "your/yours" are not interchangeable.
4. The verb ending "est" or "st" should only be added to the end of verbs in the present tense singular second person conjugation (in normal English, this means talking about the person you're talking to about something that is happening now) as in "Thou slayest."
5. The verb ending "eth" should only be used where the verb ending "s" or "es" would be used in present day English, as in "He slayeth."
6. "art" should only be used in the singular second person present tense.
7. "Extra" words for where, here, and there:
whence (from where): Origin, as in "Whence comest thou?"
where: Location, as in "Where art thou?"
whither (to where): Destination, as in "Whither goest thou?"
hence (from here): Origin.*
here: Location.
hither (to here): Destination.
thence (from there): Origin.**
there: Location.
thither (to there): Destination.
*Note: "hence" can also mean "from now" or "from this time", as in "henceforth".
**Note: "thence" can also mean "from then" or "from that time" as in "thenceforth".
8. The word "ye" as an old spelling for "the" comes from the fact that "th" was represented in Old and Middle English by a single letter, called "thorn"(Þþ). When the printing press was invented, there was nothing available to print "thorn"(Þþ), so they had to use "y" instead, before they decided to use "th" to represent that sound. So "ye" as in "the" should be pronounced the same as "the" (e.g. "Ye Olde Booke Shoppe" should be said "The Old Book Shop").