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Why he talked in plural?

TrenchfootTrenchfoot
edited June 2010 in Sam & Max
Hi, everyone!

Before I ask, I have to say this was an excellent episode. It was almost perfect, I enjoyed every minute I played of it. Bravo, Telltale! You have topped yourselves once again!

But I have to ask something, and sorry if it has been asked before. But I was wondering... Why Sammun-Nak kept talking in plural all the time? Anybody know?

Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • toa1995toa1995
    edited June 2010
    i would also like to know
  • light_riseslight_rises
    edited June 2010
    He was employing the "majestic plural" -- or in layman's terms, the "Royal 'We'."
  • The CommissionerThe Commissioner
    edited June 2010
    That's the way royal people speak. Haven't you ever heard it before?
  • TrenchfootTrenchfoot
    edited June 2010
    Very interesting. No, to be honest, WE haven't heard it before :p

    Thanks for the info, guys! I thought he was crazy or something...

    By the way, anyone else find it funny that an egyptian kid talked with english accent? :D Loved the kid, and his voice too, but I just find it curious.
  • GinnyNGinnyN
    edited June 2010
    Considering Cleopatra was actually greek, I don't really care.
  • serializerserializer
    edited June 2010
    Trenchfoot wrote: »
    By the way, anyone else find it funny that an egyptian kid talked with english accent? :D Loved the kid, and his voice too, but I just find it curious.

    To me is seemed perfectly natural. For instance like Prince of Persia; when Eastern royals are educated to speak English to an extremely high standard.
  • FlahFlah
    edited June 2010
    When the English language was younger, there were two forms of pronoun when speaking in the first and in the second person. There was the singular/common form and the plural/regal form. In the first person, if one were to talk about themselves to an equal or to someone of higher stature, they would use "I". If they were speaking to someone of much lower social standing (such as a king to a petitioner), they would use "we".

    Likewise, with the second person pronouns. If one speaks to someone of greater social standing or to a group, one would refer to them as "you". On the other hand if one were speaking to a single person of equal or lesser standing, one would use "thee/thou".

    As the language evolved, people simplified the use of pronouns. Made it very egalitarian, if I may say so.

    Yes, that was a completely useless fact. But it did expand your horizons a bit, didn't it?
  • LogicDeLuxeLogicDeLuxe
    edited June 2010
    Trenchfoot wrote: »
    By the way, anyone else find it funny that an egyptian kid talked with english accent? :D Loved the kid, and his voice too, but I just find it curious.
    He reminds me on the German dubbed Cleopatra here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF0uhjkPpZ0#t=2m17s
    She has a very similar accentuation. She does not use that "we", although it would have worked their too.
    The royal we is also commonly used in German. You also address the highness in the plural form. And the highness may address the subject in the 3rd person.
  • Lena_PLena_P
    edited June 2010
    Trenchfoot wrote: »
    Very interesting. No, to be honest, WE haven't heard it before :p

    Thanks for the info, guys! I thought he was crazy or something...

    By the way, anyone else find it funny that an egyptian kid talked with english accent? :D Loved the kid, and his voice too, but I just find it curious.

    Heck, I'm surprised he could speak English, forget the accent! What was English like, 5000 years ago? Was it just "Germanic" or something back then?
  • thesporkmanthesporkman
    edited June 2010
    Lena_P wrote: »
    Heck, I'm surprised he could speak English, forget the accent! What was English like, 5000 years ago? Was it just "Germanic" or something back then?

    Well, the Proto-Germanic language didn't even exist until 3000 years ago.
  • adostaadosta
    edited June 2010
    I thought he had an english accent because he was the bad guy.
  • Lena_PLena_P
    edited June 2010
    Somebody's been watching Eddie Izzard. Actually, now I want to know why he did have an English accent. 'Cause it sounds posh?
  • TrenchfootTrenchfoot
    edited June 2010
    Lena_P wrote: »
    Somebody's been watching Eddie Izzard. Actually, now I want to know why he did have an English accent. 'Cause it sounds posh?

    Grossmann probably loved Nikki's performance and said: "Forget about history! Her voice is awesome!!" :p

    Seriously though, I never thought I would learn this really interesting stuff in this forum! Thanks guys! :)
  • coolsomecoolsome
    edited June 2010
    the psychic brain translates what he needs to say XP
  • light_riseslight_rises
    edited June 2010
    Guys guys, we all know royals spoke like that in the Olden Days! Yes, even the non-English ones. That's what almost every English-language period film made in the last forty or so years has taught me, so it must be true!

    :p

    But yeah ... Sammun-Mak's speaking The Queen's Latin. It works pretty well as a sort of "translation convention" in this case, and it's funny (albeit in a different way than Papierwaite's and the European tourist's fantastic whatever-they-are accents). The fact that he can speak and understand English at all is far curiouser, but I feel better about it once I remember the meticulous and doubtlessly thorough research that went into "Monkeys Violating the Heavenly Temple." :D
  • AvelAvel
    edited June 2010
    Lena_P wrote: »
    Heck, I'm surprised he could speak English, forget the accent! What was English like, 5000 years ago? Was it just "Germanic" or something back then?

    Here's English from a thousand or so years ago. And English from a few hundred years later.
  • daro2096daro2096
    edited June 2010
    Flah wrote: »
    When the English language was younger, there were two forms of pronoun when speaking in the first and in the second person. There was the singular/common form and the plural/regal form. In the first person, if one were to talk about themselves to an equal or to someone of higher stature, they would use "I". If they were speaking to someone of much lower social standing (such as a king to a petitioner), they would use "we".

    Likewise, with the second person pronouns. If one speaks to someone of greater social standing or to a group, one would refer to them as "you". On the other hand if one were speaking to a single person of equal or lesser standing, one would use "thee/thou".

    As the language evolved, people simplified the use of pronouns. Made it very egalitarian, if I may say so.

    Yes, that was a completely useless fact. But it did expand your horizons a bit, didn't it?

    You are wrong about the 'thees' and 'thous.' Thee and thou are the singular form and the ye and you and your are the plural form. If you were speaking to a crowd you would say 'you' if talking to your neighbour you would use 'thou.'
  • IryonIryon
    edited June 2010
    Please read Flah's post again and thou wilt see thy faulty assumption.
  • NimeniNimeni
    edited June 2010
    Flah wrote: »
    When the English language was younger, there were two forms of pronoun when speaking in the first and in the second person. There was the singular/common form and the plural/regal form. In the first person, if one were to talk about themselves to an equal or to someone of higher stature, they would use "I". If they were speaking to someone of much lower social standing (such as a king to a petitioner), they would use "we".

    Likewise, with the second person pronouns. If one speaks to someone of greater social standing or to a group, one would refer to them as "you". On the other hand if one were speaking to a single person of equal or lesser standing, one would use "thee/thou".

    As the language evolved, people simplified the use of pronouns. Made it very egalitarian, if I may say so.

    Yes, that was a completely useless fact. But it did expand your horizons a bit, didn't it?

    Yes, but it's worthwhile to add that thou/thee is also considered a "familiar" tense. So while it can, if used incorrectly (i.e. if you were to use it with an individual older than you, or who required a more respectful pronoun, such as your boss) denote disrespect for an individual, it can, in other circumstances, communicate familiarity/friendship, etc. Which makes it very annoying when people trying to sound olde-timey start speaking in thee/thou to sound formal, which is the exact opposite of what it was.

    It's basically like the "tu" form in a lot of languages.
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