Bird is the Word

In the Swedish language there are often a number of alternatives when conveying the same message. We really helps us struggling English speakers. One of these is when wanting to say the English word "you". In English this is pretty simple, and usually involves pointing at the offending party. Confusion can occur when addressing a group of people. Do you mean the whole group, or just one person in particular ? Sweden has fixed that problem by having a second word "ni" when addressing two or more people. Which I think is great, but as one usually learns the singular "du" first, it can be a struggle at first for a native English speaker to remember that there's a different word for multiple persons. Of course it wouldn't be Swedish without introducing yet another set of words for the same thing. Depending on whether or not you are referring to the subject of the conversation. "You are waiting for the bus" versus "The bus is waiting for you". But that's a story for another day. Moving along. Now, that's all well and good, but I found myself noticing people using the plural "ni" when it was plainly obvious that they were only referring to one person. I thought maybe it was just laziness although, to be honest, I like the sound of "ni" better than "du". So I did a bit of digging and came up with quite a story, that can only happen in Sweden. Those of us who are, or have been, fortunate enough to experience Swedish society have noticed that class structure is largely frowned upon. Unlike the English based cultures where class structure is required in order to keep the peasants under control. Sweden, too, thought this was a pretty good system. Until the country fell on hard times when those who had less either emigrated or died. As a result of the near decimation of their country, Sweden started taking active steps to narrow the economic and social gaps between people. And that included an overhaul of language. See, the Swedish word "Ni" was used in days gone by, when addressing a person of status. Someone who was a bit finer than your peasantly self. As part of the process of stripping away the class structure, a language reform was held (du-reformen). As only Swedes would do. And so it came to pass that all persons, regardless of wealth or position, would henceforth be referred to as "du". A crushing blow for the establishment, and one up for the masses. Not convinced that it actually changed anything, but I'm sure that the locals felt a bit better as a result. The use of the word Ni was to be limited to people who's status was without equal. Namely King and Mrs King. Så var det. Not so fast, my fine peasant friends. We are now in the time of the "Ni" revolt. Ni is fighting back to regain it's rightful place. Older people have always continued to use the word Ni as a sign of respect or politeness. Those rebellious pensioners. But with the growth of international business and the ambition of many Swedish to Englishise themselves, it's now more common to hear the word Ni again. Often staff in shops, banks and restaurants will use Ni when addressing customers. So, resist the urge to look around quickly to see if there's a crowd suddenly gathered behind you. Personally, I rather miss the good old fashioned class stucture. There was comfort and security in knowing that you were firmly at the bottom of the pile. So I intend to join the Ni revolution and use the word at every opportunity. The worm has turned, and it's coming for Ni. Footnote: I only had to look up the dictionary 5 times to remember the right English words to use here. That's better than normal.