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Cake day: July 22nd, 2023

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  • I just learned the other day that in English “you” is the old formal.

    Here in Pennsylvania, we know that Quakers used thee and thou far longer than anyone else. Turns out, that was a protest movement. You and yours were used for nobility and royalty, the piece I was reading said the “royal we” is a leftover from this setup.

    As a protest against classism and politics, Quakers refused to use you and yours at all and used thee and thou for everyone regardless of status. Instead, common usage English went the other way and adopted you and yours for everyone.

    My mother met old Quaker ladies in the 1950s who still used thee and thou in common conversation.