You reform
The Du-Reform ( Swedish : du-reformen ) describes a change in the use of personal pronouns in salutation that took place in Sweden during the 1960s and 1970s.
reform
In the 1960s and 70s, Swedes stopped addressing people they did not know or who were older or higher in the hierarchy in the third person by name or title (for example, “the Lord would like some more tea”, in the sense of “would you like some more tea ”), and went over to you as the generally applicable salutation pronoun.
This reform is commonly attributed to Bror Rexed , who was then director of the National Health and Welfare Authority (Swedish: Socialstyrelsen ). When he took office in 1967, he allowed all employees to address him by first name instead of his title (he did not say which pronoun to use). However, the reform had already started a few years earlier in the major Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter .
The Du reform is generally seen in Sweden as a democratic and egalitarian advance.
background
In contrast to Germany or France, Sweden had not developed a specific personal pronoun as a pronominal form of address for a very long time . First in the bourgeois and courtly circles, then also in the country, it was customary from the middle of the 17th century until well into the 20th century not to address an older or higher person with a pronoun, but only indirectly via their name or title. for example Skulle fru Carlsson vilja hjälpa mig med det? , literally: “Would you like Ms. Carlsson to help me with this?” (instead of: “Would you like to help me with this, [Ms. Carlsson]?”), or Vad tycker professorn? , literally: “What does the professor think?” (instead of: “What do you think, [Professor]?”) or Farfar ser blek ut i dag; är farfar sjuk? , literally: "Grandfather looks pale today, is grandfather sick?" (instead of: "You look pale today, [Grandfather], are you sick?").
The uncertainty as to which suitable salutation should now be chosen also led to many impersonal and passive constructions, for example Hur var namnet? , literally: "What was the name?" (instead of: "What's your name? ") or Önskas socker? , literally: "Do you want sugar?" (instead of: "Do you want sugar?").
In order to replace this cumbersome form of address or bypassing a form of address with one based on the continental European model, the so-called Ni reform was propagated. In future you should address strangers, older and higher-ranking people in the 2nd person plural: Vad tycker Ni? , German: "What do you think (do you think)?" The form of address using the 2nd person plural (originally I, later due to incorrect separation of the verb ending -en then ni ) can be documented as early as the 16th century, and the form using The increasingly obsolete I was still in use in some areas in the 19th century. Yet these efforts to introduce Ni as a universal salutation pronoun have all failed. Addressing someone with Ni was and is considered impolite in some circles.
Due to the lack of an undisputed form of address or politeness pronoun, the form of address using du was very common and widespread in Sweden at all times. Against this background, the Du reform was not a big step than one might think from the perspective of a German speaker.
Todays situation
The old polite form of address is still used today, for example, towards members of the royal family: Är det första gången Prinsen besöker Afghanistan ?, literally: “Is it the first time that the prince is visiting Afghanistan?” (German: “That you are visiting Afghanistan? "). It is also still possible to meet older and higher-ranking people using the traditional indirect form of address.
Ni has experienced a certain renaissance as a polite form of address. Since the end of the 1980s, the service sector has seen a more frequent use of the form of address in the 2nd person plural, e.g. B. in restaurants or shops. In business letters, the 2nd person plural is not uncommon, even with sole proprietorships or private individuals, and is capitalized as an option : Vi tackar för den order Ni sänt oss, German: “Thank you for the order you sent us (it sent us have). ”However, the use of ni as a politeness pronoun is controversial and is not assumed.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ingrid Meissl Årebo: To hell with the titles. In Sweden people have been with each other for 50 years. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung , June 3, 2017.
- ↑ The following after: Werner Wolf: Small Swedish language teaching. Gaspey-Otto-Sauer method. 3rd, improved edition Heidelberg 1941, lesson 11; Philip Holmes and Ian Hinchliffe: Swedish. A Comprehensive Grammar. London / New York 1994, chap. 4B; Svenska Akademiens ordbok , word article I .
- ↑ Interview with Prince Carl Philip, end of October 2012