User:Robbiemuffin/indefinite person
The indefinite person is commonly “you”, but is also “one”. Because you is not defective, it is the default form for this person, however the two are used interchangably. They may be seen as a resonant T/V distinction in english, with “you” being the familiar and “one” being the formal.
The “one” form is the form that makes it properly a person, and not simply a stand-in equivalence. It might properly (though unfortunately) be called a defective person, as it does not have a standard form in the objective, reflexive, nor any possessive. In the subjective, reflexive, possessive determiner, it does have a derrivative form, though only the subjective is widespread (the others are available but unpopular). It also has a default inflection for regular verbs. Yet it is particularly deficient in the objective and the possessive, where it does not have available unpopular derrivations of the word.
It is commonly stood-in with an equivalent third person masculine, and less often with the third person plural. The feminine stand-in is used when the audience is exclusively female (as was often the case in 80s fashion or gossip periodicals, and advice colums, and other so-called ‘girly’ things).
| subjective | objective | reflexive | possesive | possessive determiner |
regular inflection | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| familiar | you | you | yourself | yours | your | ||
| formal | generic | one | oneself | one's | -s | ||
| feminine | one | her | herself | hers | her | -s | |
Where third person is apt, it must either split the count from the person to the objective, or bring them all into agreement (plural) in which case there is no indefiniteness. Consider this sentence:
- (plural, phrasal stand-in) «They that run must always tie their shoes before running.»
As can be seen, the sentence thusly becomes person-specific — and not just syntacticly. It is not even indefinite in the abstract. By convention, the plural stand-in is not used in the subjective, and since the verb is conjugated for count by the subject, the inflective prescription is always singular. The disturbance in count may spread throughout the sentence.
- «At dinner one cleans their plate.»
- «At dinner one must always clean their plate.»
- «At dinner one must always clean their plates.»
— determiners still guide the count, though, such that the above were correct but these (in red) are still incorrect:
- «After their dinner, one cleans plates.»
- «After their dinner, one cleans plate.»
- «After their dinner, one clean plates.»
Likewise there is a gender split with «one...he» or «one...she», and it is even common to see «one...you», as per te following examples:
- «One cleans his plates after dinner.»
- «One needs a rest after an afternoon downtown.»
- «When one is as old as I am; your legs give out on you.»
Here are the exemplary uses for the indefinite.
- subjective
- «One always ties ones shoes before running a marathon.»
- «You always tie your shoes before running a marathon.»
- regular inflection
- «One always ties ones shoes before running a marathon.»
- «You always tie your shoes before running a marathon.»
- objective
- (contested stand-in) Direct Object «One must be sure to tie one's shoes, lest an accident await him.»
- Indirect Object «It gives her luck, to tie one's shoes before running.»
- Indirect Object «It gives you luck, to tie your shoes before running.»
- reflexive
- «One cannot run a relay by oneself.» (also “one's self”)
- «You cannot run a relay by yourself.»
- possessive
- (contested stand-in) «One must seize that which is his.
- «One must seize that which is hers.
- «Seize that which is yours!»
- possessive determiner
- «When running a marathon, one's shoes should always be tied.»
- «When running a marathon, your shoes should always be tied.»