I mentioned "vous" and "tu" earlier today. When I was a kid, old-school types of my Grandfather's generation used both forms to speak to their wives. When other people were present, these men would address their wives as "vous" and when they were alone they used "tu".
I always found that very beautiful and moving. Later people said it was just a formal distinction and that what really mattered were the "real feelings underneath". And so we go down the primrose path.
This seems to match up with my thoughts (or the working through of them) related to your previous post--more formal for public, more intimate in private.
ReplyDeleteNot a perfect co-relation I think though, as Thee isn't so much formal as archaic. 'You' is supreme in both formal and informal speech.