--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@...> wrote:
> >***
> >Patrick:
> >
> >Is there any inisputable example that could be cited?
> >
> >***
>
> I just cited it: they (from ON þeir, replacing OE híe, héo).
Though possibly eased by cognate _þa:_ 'those' in Old English.
In languages with large sets of personal pronouns, foreign loans are
quite easy. For example, Thai has a second person familiar masculine
/lM:_H/ (M = high back unrounded vowel, _H = high tone) from Chinese.
English 'I' and 'you' are also reported to be used, but they haven't
made their way into the (Thai) Royal Institute Dictionary. The usual
polite Thai second person pronoun, /khun_M/ (_M = mid tone), derives
from Sankrit or Pali _guNa_ 'thread; quality' (as in the Sanskrit
vowel grade). Likewise there's the formal /ta nu_H/ 'I; self' from
Sanskrit/Pali _tanus-_/_tanu-_/_tanu:- 'body, self'.
Richard.