Why he talked in plural?

[Trenchfoot]

Hi, everyone!

Before I ask, I have to say this was an excellent episode. It was almost perfect, I enjoyed every minute I played of it. Bravo, Telltale! You have topped yourselves once again!

But I have to ask something, and sorry if it has been asked before. But I was wondering... Why Sammun-Nak kept talking in plural all the time? Anybody know?

Thanks in advance!

[toa1995]

i would also like to know

[light_rises]

He was employing the "majestic plural" -- or in layman's terms, the "Royal 'We'."

[The Commissioner]

That's the way royal people speak. Haven't you ever heard it before?

[Trenchfoot]

Very interesting. No, to be honest, WE haven't heard it before

Thanks for the info, guys! I thought he was crazy or something...

By the way, anyone else find it funny that an egyptian kid talked with english accent? Loved the kid, and his voice too, but I just find it curious.

[GinnyN]

Considering Cleopatra was actually greek, I don't really care.

[serializer]

Originally Posted by Trenchfoot

By the way, anyone else find it funny that an egyptian kid talked with english accent? Loved the kid, and his voice too, but I just find it curious.

To me is seemed perfectly natural. For instance like Prince of Persia; when Eastern royals are educated to speak English to an extremely high standard.

[Flah]

When the English language was younger, there were two forms of pronoun when speaking in the first and in the second person. There was the singular/common form and the plural/regal form. In the first person, if one were to talk about themselves to an equal or to someone of higher stature, they would use "I". If they were speaking to someone of much lower social standing (such as a king to a petitioner), they would use "we".

Likewise, with the second person pronouns. If one speaks to someone of greater social standing or to a group, one would refer to them as "you". On the other hand if one were speaking to a single person of equal or lesser standing, one would use "thee/thou".

As the language evolved, people simplified the use of pronouns. Made it very egalitarian, if I may say so.

Yes, that was a completely useless fact. But it did expand your horizons a bit, didn't it?

[LogicDeLuxe]

Originally Posted by Trenchfoot

By the way, anyone else find it funny that an egyptian kid talked with english accent? Loved the kid, and his voice too, but I just find it curious.

He reminds me on the German dubbed Cleopatra here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF0uhjkPpZ0#t=2m17s
She has a very similar accentuation. She does not use that "we", although it would have worked their too.
The royal we is also commonly used in German. You also address the highness in the plural form. And the highness may address the subject in the 3rd person.

[Lena_P]

Originally Posted by Trenchfoot

Very interesting. No, to be honest, WE haven't heard it before

Thanks for the info, guys! I thought he was crazy or something...

By the way, anyone else find it funny that an egyptian kid talked with english accent? Loved the kid, and his voice too, but I just find it curious.

Heck, I'm surprised he could speak English, forget the accent! What was English like, 5000 years ago? Was it just "Germanic" or something back then?

[thesporkman]

Originally Posted by Lena_P

Heck, I'm surprised he could speak English, forget the accent! What was English like, 5000 years ago? Was it just "Germanic" or something back then?

Well, the Proto-Germanic language didn't even exist until 3000 years ago.

[adosta]

I thought he had an english accent because he was the bad guy.

[Lena_P]

Somebody's been watching Eddie Izzard. Actually, now I want to know why he did have an English accent. 'Cause it sounds posh?

[Trenchfoot]

Originally Posted by Lena_P

Somebody's been watching Eddie Izzard. Actually, now I want to know why he did have an English accent. 'Cause it sounds posh?

Grossmann probably loved Nikki's performance and said: "Forget about history! Her voice is awesome!!"

Seriously though, I never thought I would learn this really interesting stuff in this forum! Thanks guys!

[coolsome]

the psychic brain translates what he needs to say XP

[light_rises]

Guys guys, we all know royals spoke like that in the Olden Days! Yes, even the non-English ones. That's what almost every English-language period film made in the last forty or so years has taught me, so it must be true!



But yeah ... Sammun-Mak's speaking The Queen's Latin. It works pretty well as a sort of "translation convention" in this case, and it's funny (albeit in a different way than Papierwaite's and the European tourist's fantastic whatever-they-are accents). The fact that he can speak and understand English at all is far curiouser, but I feel better about it once I remember the meticulous and doubtlessly thorough research that went into "Monkeys Violating the Heavenly Temple."

[Avel]

Originally Posted by Lena_P

Heck, I'm surprised he could speak English, forget the accent! What was English like, 5000 years ago? Was it just "Germanic" or something back then?

Here's English from a thousand or so years ago. And English from a few hundred years later.

[daro2096]

Originally Posted by Flah

When the English language was younger, there were two forms of pronoun when speaking in the first and in the second person. There was the singular/common form and the plural/regal form. In the first person, if one were to talk about themselves to an equal or to someone of higher stature, they would use "I". If they were speaking to someone of much lower social standing (such as a king to a petitioner), they would use "we".

Likewise, with the second person pronouns. If one speaks to someone of greater social standing or to a group, one would refer to them as "you". On the other hand if one were speaking to a single person of equal or lesser standing, one would use "thee/thou".

As the language evolved, people simplified the use of pronouns. Made it very egalitarian, if I may say so.

Yes, that was a completely useless fact. But it did expand your horizons a bit, didn't it?

You are wrong about the 'thees' and 'thous.' Thee and thou are the singular form and the ye and you and your are the plural form. If you were speaking to a crowd you would say 'you' if talking to your neighbour you would use 'thou.'

[Iryon]

Please read Flah's post again and thou wilt see thy faulty assumption.

[Nimeni]

Originally Posted by Flah

When the English language was younger, there were two forms of pronoun when speaking in the first and in the second person. There was the singular/common form and the plural/regal form. In the first person, if one were to talk about themselves to an equal or to someone of higher stature, they would use "I". If they were speaking to someone of much lower social standing (such as a king to a petitioner), they would use "we".

Likewise, with the second person pronouns. If one speaks to someone of greater social standing or to a group, one would refer to them as "you". On the other hand if one were speaking to a single person of equal or lesser standing, one would use "thee/thou".

As the language evolved, people simplified the use of pronouns. Made it very egalitarian, if I may say so.

Yes, that was a completely useless fact. But it did expand your horizons a bit, didn't it?

Yes, but it's worthwhile to add that thou/thee is also considered a "familiar" tense. So while it can, if used incorrectly (i.e. if you were to use it with an individual older than you, or who required a more respectful pronoun, such as your boss) denote disrespect for an individual, it can, in other circumstances, communicate familiarity/friendship, etc. Which makes it very annoying when people trying to sound olde-timey start speaking in thee/thou to sound formal, which is the exact opposite of what it was.

It's basically like the "tu" form in a lot of languages.