In her poem "Yo Y Tu,"
Elaine Equi ponders
the Spanish tu
which means you but implies intimacy,
is reserved for family and friends
and would be considered gauche
if said to a prospective employer, say,
or a higher-up on the corporate campus,
and the same is true
for tu
in French as opposed to vous
which means you (singular and plural).
Now in English we do have thou and thee
which used to have the same function
as tu in French
but now they evoke the era of King Arthur.
Elaine's practical solution:
"in English
the informal you
is Yo" (which means I in Spanish).
Comments