what is the etymology of yo
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what is the etymology of the Spanish pronoun "yo"
1784 views
updated Jan 30, 2014
posted by brownrice27
2 Answers
2
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It came from latin ego meaning I. This is really simple as Spanish is a Romance language so basic words in Spanish are obviously of Latin origin
updated Jan 30, 2014
posted by bubblyx
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What intrigues me is if Yo = I - then how did YoU = Udsted etc.
updated Jan 30, 2014
posted by ian-hill
Huh? The Spanish you is not related to English you. They're different - bubblyx, Jan 30, 2014
As bubblyx says, you is of Germanic origin, while usted is of Arabic origin, according to some Googling. - Helado_eclectico, Jan 30, 2014
Usted is not of Arabic origin, it came from the contraction of vuestra Merced which later merged into usted. It's the same thing as the portuguese voce which came from vossa merce - bubblyx, Jan 30, 2014
Right, thanks for clearing that up. Apparently, that's a little fallacy that seems to be pretty widespread. - Helado_eclectico, Jan 30, 2014
