Here's a breakdown of how "thou thee thy thine" evolved into "you your":
Thou, Thee, Thy, Thine:
* These were the second person singular pronouns in Old English, used to address a single person directly.
* "Thou" was the nominative case (subject of the verb), "thee" the accusative/dative case (object of the verb or preposition), and "thy" the possessive case (belonging to you). "Thine" was a more formal version of "thy," often used before a vowel.
You, Your:
* Around the 14th century, the singular pronoun "you" started gaining popularity, gradually replacing "thou." This was likely due to a shift in social etiquette, where "thou" came to be seen as informal and sometimes even disrespectful.
* "You" originally was a plural pronoun (referring to multiple people), but it became the singular form for politeness and respect.
* The possessive form "your" came into use alongside "you," replacing "thy" and "thine."
Why the Shift?
* Social Change: The use of "thou" declined as formality and politeness became increasingly important in society.
* Influence of French: The Norman Conquest brought French influence to England, and French grammar had a similar system of formality, using "vous" (the formal "you") for singular and plural.
* Simplification: Using "you" for both singular and plural made the language simpler and more consistent.
Modern Usage:
* "Thou" and "thee" are only used today in poetry, religious texts, or very archaic styles of writing.
* "You" and "your" are the standard pronouns used in modern English for both singular and plural forms.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you'd like to delve into any other linguistic changes in English.