Sie German · revision 34807

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century (the pronoun); early 17th century (as a form of address)|origins=gem-pro *sī}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ziː/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Sie''' (personal pronoun of polite address, singular and plural, with a plural verb; genitive ''Ihrer'', dative ''Ihnen'', accusative ''Sie'')^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ As a noun: ''die Sie'' (genitive ''der Sie'', plural ''Sies''), colloquial.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is the plural pronoun [[sie]] “they”, used as a form of address and written with a capital letter.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Kluge 2011|847) That pronoun is [[inh|gmh|sie]], [[inh|goh|sie|t=they (masculine)]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Wiktionary) Old High German still had a feminine plural [[m|goh|sio]] and a neuter plural [[m|goh|siu]] beside it, as well as separate feminine singular forms, and Middle High German reduced all of them to [[m|gmh|sī]] and [[m|gmh|si]] beside the older form, until New High German kept a single form for every case.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The pronoun is built on a stem with initial /s/ that Germanic used beside the stem of [[er]] and [[es]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|16, 759) In [[got|𐍃𐌹|tr=si|t=she]] it forms only the feminine nominative singular, which Kluge and the Grimms' dictionary take to be its original use in Germanic, and the use for the plural came later.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(DWB|16, 759) Outside Germanic the same form is found in [[sga|sí|t=she]] and in the accusative [[sa|सीम्|tr=sīm]].^(Duden 7 2020)^(Kluge 2011|847) Kluge explains [[ine-pro|*siə]] as a feminine made from the reflexive stem [[m|ine-pro|*se]], either extended with a pointing particle or blended with the more common pronoun stem [[m|ine-pro|*i-]].^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Pfeifer 1993) Pfeifer adds that the Old High German feminine singular, with the accusative [[m|goh|sia]], was shaped after the demonstrative [[m|goh|thia]], and that the pronoun then built its plural forms on the pattern of the strong adjectives.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German forms of the pronoun are recorded from the 8th century, and they occur in nearly every Old High German text, from the glosses and baptismal vows to Otfrid and Notker.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|89) As a form of address, the plural pronoun first stood beside the plural titles for persons of high rank that came up in the 16th century, such as ''Euer Gnaden'' “Your Grace”: the speaker named the title and then went on with “they”.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the early 17th century the plural was used on its own to address a prince, following plural courtesy titles, and by the end of the century it had become a general form of address, at first beside the older [[ihr|alt=Ihr]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) In the 18th century it was usual among the nobility and the educated middle class, and since then it has been written with a capital letter.^(Duden 7 2020) The capital served to tell the form of address apart from the ordinary pronoun.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ From the first half of the 17th century the feminine singular ''Sie'', with a singular verb, was also used to address a woman, at first as a more polite form than ''Ihr''.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) In the 18th century this singular form sank to an address for people of lower standing, such as servants: Lessing's Minna has a young lady greet her maid with it, while the other characters are addressed with the plural form.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ The pronoun has been used as a noun for a female being since the 12th century: Walther von der Vogelweide writes ''ez si ein sie, ez si ein er'' “be it a she or a he”.^(Paul 2002) It was used especially of female animals, and Middle High German ''sī'' could also mean “woman”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) Today the noun is common in personal advertisements.^(Paul 2002) The verb [[siezen]] “to address with ''Sie''” is recorded from the 17th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German forms of the pronoun are recorded.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 12th century – The pronoun is used as a noun for a female, as in Walther von der Vogelweide.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – Plural titles such as ''Euer Gnaden'' come up for persons of high rank, followed by the plural pronoun.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * Early 17th century – The plural ''Sie'' is used on its own to address a prince.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1st half of the 17th century – The singular ''Sie'' with a singular verb is used to address a woman.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – The verb ''siezen'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * End of the 17th century – The plural ''Sie'' becomes a general form of address, beside ''Ihr''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – It is usual among nobles and the educated middle class and is written with a capital letter.^(Duden 7 2020) The singular ''Sie'' becomes an address for people of lower rank.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # [[m|en|you]]: the polite form of address to one or more persons, used where ''[[du]]'' or ''[[ihr]]'' would be too familiar, with the verb in the plural: ''Möchten Sie noch einen Tee?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(obsolete)'' With a singular verb, a form of address to a woman of lower rank, such as a maid.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(colloquial)'' A [[m|en|female]] person or animal: ''Die junge Amsel dort ist eine Sie.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[siezen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sie]]

+ * [[er]]

+ * [[es]]

+ * [[ihr]]

+ * [[duzen]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Jemanden mit Sie anreden'' is to address someone formally, as opposed to ''duzen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Pfeifer 1993) The capital is kept in all the forms of address: ''Ihrer'', ''Ihnen'', ''Sie''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}