"Many languages have at least two forms of a pronoun meaning "you", a singular and a plural. However, the plural form is widely felt to be more deferential. In numerous languages the plural "you" has become the polite "you", while the singular "you" has become the familiar and intimate "you"...Other pronouns can be affected also...In Japanese, extreme, formalized politeness has affected the whole pronoun system. For example, the most formal word for "I", watakusi, originally meant "slave" or "servant"."
Jean Aitchison, Language Change: Progress or Decay?, Cambridge University Press 2001.
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