Royal we: Difference between revisions

[[File:Jul-Greg-George-II-1750.tif|thumb|Document of 1750 signed by [[George II of Great Britain]], using the royal we in [[German language|German]]: ''Gegeben auf Unserm Palais zu St. James den 3/14ten April des 1750ten Jahres Unsers Reiches im Dreÿ und Zwantzigstem. George R'' ("Issued in Our Palace of St. James, on 3rd/14th April in the 1750th year in the three and twentieth of Our Reign. George [[Rex (title)|RexR]]")]]

The '''royal ''we''''', '''majestic plural''' ({{lang|la|pluralis majestatis}}), or '''royal plural''', is the use of a [[plural]] [[pronoun]] (or corresponding [[plural]]-inflected verb forms) used by a single person who is a [[monarch]] or holds a high office to refer to themselvesthemself. A more general term for the use of a ''we'', ''us'', or ''our'' to refer to oneself is ''[[nosism]]''.

In the public situations in which it is used, the monarch or other dignitary is typically speaking not only in their own personal capacity but also in an official capacity as leader of a nation or institution. In the grammar of several languages, plural forms tend to be perceived as deferential and more polite than singular forms. This grammatical feature is common in languages that have the [[T–V distinction]]. English used to have this feature but lost it over time, largely by the end of the 17th century.<ref name="UofAriz">{{citeCitation webneeded|title=Politeness in Early Modern English: the second person pronouns|url=http://www2.nau.edu/~eng121-c/politenessin%20AME.htm|website=Northern Arizona University|publisher=Arizona Board of Regents|access-date=15 AprilJuly 20192023}}</ref>

In [[Commonwealth realms]], the sovereign discharges their [[Commission (document)#Examples of military and naval commissions|commissions to ranked military officers]] in the capacity of ''we''. Many official documents published in the name of the monarch are also presented with royal ''we'', such as [[letters patent]], [[proclamation|proclamations]], etc.

Popes have historically used the ''we'' as part of their formal speech, for example as used in ''{{lang|fr|[[Notre charge apostolique]]''}}, ''{{lang|de|[[Mit brennender Sorge]]''}}, and ''{{lang|it|[[Non abbiamo bisogno]]''}}.

Since [[Pope John Paul III]], however, the royal ''we'' has been dropped by popes in public speech, although formal documents may have retained it. Recent important papal documents still use the majestic plural in the original Latin but are given with the singular ''I'' in their official English translations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/ |title=Ioannes Paulus PP. II: Karol Wojtyla: 16.X.1978 - 2.IV.2005 |publisher=The Vatican |access-date=2011-04-28 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430185550/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/ |archive-date=30 April 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>{{full|date=November 2012}}

Several prominent [[Names of God in Judaism|epithets]] of the [[Tanakh|Bible]] describe the [[Yahweh|Hebrew God]] in plural terms: ''{{lang|he-Latn|[[Elohim]]''}}, ''{{lang|he-Latn|[[Adonai]]''}}, and ''{{lang|he-Latn|[[El Shaddai]]''}}. Many Christian scholars, including the post-apostolic leaders and [[Augustine of Hippo]], have seen the use of the plural and grammatically singular verb forms as support for the doctrine of the [[Trinity]].<ref>{{cite web |title=On the Trinity |url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1301.htm |publisher=New Advent |access-date=7 February 2014}}</ref> The earliest known use of this poetic device is somewhere in the 4th century AD, during the Byzantine period; nevertheless, scholars such as [[Mircea Eliade]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Eliade |first=Mircea |author-link=Mircea Eliade |editor1-last=Espín |editor1-first=Orlando O. |editor2-last=Nickoloff |editor2-first=James B. |title=An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies Page|date=2007 |publisher=Liturgical Press |page=396 |isbn=9780814658567}}</ref> [[Wilhelm Gesenius]],<ref>Gesenius, Hebrew Grammar: 124g, without article 125f, with article 126e, with the singular 145h, with plural 132h, 145i</ref> and [[Aaron Ember]]<ref>THE{{cite PLURALISthesis INTENSIVUS|type=PhD IN|title=The HEBREW.Pluralis ByIntensivus AARONin EMBER,Hebrew PH.D.,|first=Aaron |last=Ember |location=Baltimore, Md.|publisher=Johns pageHopkins University |date=1905 |page=207 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VEUDAAAAMAAJ |via=Google Books}}</ref> claim that Elohim is a form of majestic plural in the Torah.

In [[Imperial China]] and every monarchy within its [[East Asian cultural sphere|its cultural orbitsphere]] (including [[Japanese Empire|Japan]], [[Korean Empire|Korea]], Ryukyu, and [[Vietnamese Empire|Vietnam]]), the majestic imperial pronoun was expressed by the [[Chinese character|character]] ''{{lang|zh-Latn|zhèn''}} ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|朕}}}}), ([[Old Chinese]]: ''*{{langx|och-Latn|proto=yes|lrəmʔ''}}). This was in fact the former Chinese first-person {{em|singular}} pronoun (that is, '{{gloss|I'}}). However, following his [[Qin's wars of unification|unification of China]], the [[List of rulers of China|emperor]] [[Shi Huangdi]] arrogated it entirely for his personal use. Previously, in the Chinese cultural sphere, the use of the first-person pronoun in formal courtly language was already uncommon, with the nobility using the self-deprecating term ''{{lang|zh-Latn|guǎrén''}} {{lang|zh|寡人}} ('{{gloss|lonely one'}}) for self-reference, while their subjects referred to themselves as ''{{lang|zh-Latn|chén''}} {{lang|zh|臣}} ('{{gloss|subject'}}, original meaning '{{gloss|servant'}} or '{{gloss|slave'}}), with an indirect deferential reference like ''{{lang|zh-Latn|zúxià''}} {{lang|zh|足下}} ('{{gloss|below [your] foot'}}), or by employing a [[Chinese honorifics|deferential epithet]] (such as the adjective ''{{lang|zh-Latn|yú''}} ({{lang|zh|愚}}), '{{gloss|foolish'}}). While this practice did not affect the non-Chinese countries as much since their variants of ''{{lang|zh-Latn|zhèn''}} ({{lang|zh|朕}}) and other terms were generally imported loanwords, the practice of polite avoidance of pronouns nevertheless spread throughout East Asia. {{Crossreference|(For more information, see: [[Japanese pronouns]], [[Korean pronouns]], and [[Vietnamese pronouns]].)}}. This still persists, except in [[China]], where, following the [[May Fourth Movement]] and the [[Chinese Communist Party|Communist Party]] victory in the [[Chinese Civil War]], the use of the first-person pronoun {{lang|zh|我}} ''{{lang|zh-Latn|wǒ''}}, which dates to the Shang dynasty oracle inscriptions as a plural possessive pronoun, is common. {{Crossreference|(See also [[Chinese Pronouns]].)}} {{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

In [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] and other [[Indo-Aryan languages]], the majestic plural is a common way for elder speakers to refer to themselves, and also for persons of higher social rank to refer to themselves. In certain communities, the first-person singular ({{lang-langx|hi|मैं|mainmaiṁ|I}}) may be dispensed with altogether for self-reference and the plural [[nosism]] used uniformly.{{cn|date=July 2024}}<!-- Invalid ref added here in Revision as of 20:07, 3 February 2014 by 203.145.159.148. What is it? Rupert Snell and Simon Weightman coauthored books on Hindi, but I can't find any older than 1993: ''Hindi: A Complete Course for Beginners Book and 2 Tapes''. -- <ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Snell|Weightman|1989|p=106}}</ref> -->

In [[Malaysia]], before the [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong]] takes office, he will first take an Oathoath, in which the Malay word for ''We'we', ''Kami''{{lang|ms|kami}}, would be the pronoun used. This is because His Majesty represents the other Malay Rulers of Malaysia during his reign as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

* ''{{lang|la|[[Pluralis excellentiae]]''}}