why I? not i?

footjam_heger · Post by **footjam_heger** » 18 Aug 2005 12:44

Why do you write the I BIG? I asked my english teacher once, but she couldn't explain. She said that she was looking in lots of books but haven't found any results.

So why?

Just wondering, thank you!

Torn · Post by **Torn** » 18 Aug 2005 13:24

Actually I have no idea why but my opinion is that it makes the whole reading a bit more comfortable...with writing the I in capital letters you really see where the writer is talking about him-/herself...

Just my opinion though...so if anyone knows why I would like to hear it too

greetings Julian

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 18 Aug 2005 13:30

because that's just the way it is. Why do we capitalize our names? why do we capitalize the start of a sentence? why do we capitalize words derived from proper nouns?

That's the way the language was made. There might have been a reason or there might not have been.

footjam_heger · Post by **footjam_heger** » 18 Aug 2005 13:41

Iain wrote:because that's just the way it is. Why do we capitalize our names? why do we capitalize the start of a sentence? why do we capitalize words derived from proper nouns?

That's the way the language was made. There might have been a reason or there might not have been.

that's good!

but:

names are capitalized because it's something special, everyone has another name... kind of that

the start of a sentence: you can better see wether a sentece starts

NO IDEA at all!

Tsiangkun · Post by **Tsiangkun** » 18 Aug 2005 13:51

The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology says: "~I~ _pron

developed from the unstressed
form of Old English (about 725) _ic_ singular pronoun of the first
person (nominative case). Modern and Middle English _I_ developed
from earlier _i_ in the stressed position. _I_ came to be written
with a capital letter thereby making it a distinct word and avoiding
misreading handwritten manuscripts. In the northern and midland
dialects of England the capitalized form _I_ appeared about 1250.
In the south of England, where Old English _ic_ early shifted in
pronunciation to _ich_ (by palatalization), the form _I_ did not
become established until the 1700's (although it appears
sporadically before that time)."

brian relly · Post by **brian relly** » 18 Aug 2005 13:56

It's a proper noun

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 18 Aug 2005 14:25

it's a pronoun

brian relly · Post by **brian relly** » 18 Aug 2005 14:28

I'm just gonna shut up since I'm making an ass out of myself.

SandWraith · Post by **SandWraith** » 18 Aug 2005 14:30

Yes, but more specifically it is the first-person pronoun. In english, the second-person (you) and third-person (he/she/it) pronouns do not get capitalized. In some languages, though, even the second-person pronoun is capitalized, such as the formal 'you' Sie in German.

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 18 Aug 2005 14:44

that's because it's formal. We don't have a formal you in english. It has nothing to do with first person.

Anyways, cameron found the answer

SandWraith · Post by **SandWraith** » 19 Aug 2005 09:29

The point that I was making, Iain, is that it wasn't being capitalized just for being a pronoun. It also isn't being capitalized for being the first-person pronoun, it just happens that that is the case. The rest was just an example of differences in language, but thanks for telling me there's no formal you in english.

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 19 Aug 2005 09:33

i think u misunderstood what i was saying. When i said it's a pronoun, i was correcting stephen. I wasn't saying that i is capitalized because it's a pronoun