Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

thyself=1. form of "thy": the form of "thy" used to refer to the same person who is being addressed and is the subject of the verb


2. used for emphasis: used to emphasize that the person being addressed is also being referred to

Could anyone be more specific?

Thanks

[stellara]

thy is an antiquated form of your, same thing with yours = thine, you = thee.
so thyself is an old form of yourself.

I don't know exactly when the old form is used (shakespeare used is, for example )

greets
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[iitimone7]

actually, stellar, thyself was used hundreds of years before yourself.

it is also used in the King James Bible...

iitimone7

[bud]

Many centuries ago, English actually had both formal and informal you's - I believe the same is true for singular and plural forms. The lack of a plural form is why some dialects reinvent their own: Y'all in parts of the southern U.S., and Youse in parts of Brooklyn, N.Y., to name two.

I agree that you rarely see thyself used except where noted by Stellara and Iitimone7.

[Blossom]

Unto thyself be true = be true to yourself

[stellara]

no, you misunderstood me i didn't wonder when (=in which time) thyself was used but when (= in which context/sentence) because today you surely use rather yourself.
But thanks, it's interesting to know, though!
greets
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Don't cry because it's over - smile because it happened!

MOKEY ROCKS!!!

[asterix]

In Yorkshire and some of the northern counties in England you will hear things like, "Has thee got tha 'at, lad? (Have you got your hat, lad?)
This is a regional dialect, though, and perhaps doesn't count.
The Quakers (Society of Friends) still address each other as thee and thou, I believe.