The T/V Pronouns in Later Middle English Literature

Author / Editor
Burnley, David.

Title
The T/V Pronouns in Later Middle English Literature

Published
Irma Taavitsainen and Andreas H. Jucker, eds. Diachronic Perspectives on Address Term Systems. Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, no. 107 (Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2003), pp. 27-45.

Series
Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, no. 107.

Description
Describes the "difficulties faced by scholars in unraveling" the complications involved in the usage and nuances of meaning of late Middle English you /thou pronouns, with particular attention to Chaucer's works, Eustace Deschamps' address to Chaucer, and Christine de Pizan's address to Deschamps. Considers a variety of complicating pragmatic factors, including plurality, politeness, code switching, literary contexts, manuscript transmission, rising humanism, etc.

Contributor
Taavitsainen, Irma, ed.
Jucker, Andreas H., ed.

Alternative Title
Diachronic Perspectives on Address Term Systems.

Chaucer Subjects
Language and Word Studies