To sell my soul
To sell my soul
New here? I'm Roha — want a quick tour?
We don't have one-handed bandits here. Only lotteries. Bingo. In huge letters. And a pawn shop right next door.
When a modern Russian speaker uses "вы/Вы" when addressing a single person, they primarily demonstrate not respect, but distance, often without realizing it. Today, "вы" is not so much a term of respect as it is a way of indicating that the person is an outsider, while "ты" implies familiarity.
An official letter addressed to one person also implies distance. Using "Вы" in this case is inappropriate and has a good chance of disappearing as a norm in the future. Why? Because both distance and respect are already conveyed by the very act of using "вы" instead of "ты," and the capital letter becomes redundant and even self-deprecating. That's why addressing someone as "Вы" during online communication and debates on social media is like arriving at a nearby store in a ceremonial carriage.
Why do native speakers continue to use this tool?
Some mistakenly believe that using "Вы" when addressing a single person in correspondence is a strict rule. Others are aware of all the points mentioned above but are afraid of appearing illiterate to a conversational partner who is less informed, so they adapt and write "Вы." And still others really want to show their goodwill towards a client or target audience when it comes to selling a product or service – everything is at your feet (Your Highness)!
Damn it, but literacy is your own concern.
The Russian language is richer than English by one possessive pronoun: "свой." This word is often forgotten because people's minds are filled with bad translated examples. Even the website "Gramota.ru," where thousands of people go for advice on their native language, advertises an interactive dictation with the words "Check your literacy!"
In Russian, there is a pronoun "вы" to which fairly simple rules of usage and non-usage apply.
“Вы” is always written with a lowercase letter.
The advertising-obsequious manner of writing "Вы" with a capital letter is simply unbearable. "Вы" is the plural form, and when addressing a single person, it already sounds quite respectful (compared to "ты") and does not require additional embellishments.
As a special exception, you can write "Вы" when personally addressing an incredibly respected person (each person probably has only about three such recipients in their life).
In the name of the store "Everything for You" and in the advertising phrase "...because You can afford it," it reads not as respect, but as stupidity. There is no need to be afraid to always and everywhere write "вы" with a lowercase letter.
Native speakers, please explain why it's considered cool to write "you" with a capital letter; I don't understand...
Native speakers, can you explain why it's considered correct to write "you" with a capital letter? I don't understand...
This spelling is for the masses; the elite writes it with a lowercase letter.