The Use of Second Person Pronouns in Private and Official Letters in Early Modern English

Focusing on the linguistic evolution of second-person pronouns in Early Modern English, this thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the terms thou, thee, ye, and you. Utilizing the extensive Helsinki Corpus of English Texts, the study examines 2,977 instances of these pronouns across 126 diverse text samples, encompassing both private and official correspondence. The detailed corpus analysis spans 171 pages, supplemented by 36 pages of narrative, offering significant insights into the usage patterns and shifts in pronoun application during this period.