Thou

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/thou

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the etymological origin?Derived from Old English 'þū,' ultimately from Proto-Indo-European túh₂
2. What is the sociolinguistic function?Indicated familiarity, intimacy, contempt, or social hierarchy depending on context
3. What does the word 'thou' mean?'Thou' was a word people used to say 'you' when talking to one person. It was common in old English and was used in the Bible.
4. Why did people stop using 'thou'?People liked to be polite and use 'you' for everyone. The printing press also made English simpler, so 'thou' became less common.

Sociolinguistics: The study of how social factors influence language use and structure.
T-V Distinction: The use of different second-person pronouns to express formality ('vous') or informality ('tu').
Linguistic Fossil: An archaic word or grammatical form that survives in limited use within a modern language.