III. Never say jou; and avoid UE except in correspondence. You are warned against any approach to familiarity in the use of pronouns. The courteous form is UEdele. Gij more respectful than jij. Je is a term of endearment.”
A WARNING NOTE.
“But,” objected the First Year’s Man, “it doesn’t seem to hang together, for you said just now—”
“No debating allowed,” growled the Philosopher.
“Hurry up, O’Neill, with those general principles.”
“Oh, that’s all of them,” said Jack, “all at present.” “Well, to resume my story, I picked out the most harmless of the have you’s, and was proceeding to work out the formula for ‘Have you pens,’ when to my consternation my eye fell on a dreadful warning, a kind of threat.
N.B. Important!—The foreigner is distinctly given to understand that he must commit to memory some polite phrases before engaging in conversation (see page 201) and study the chief sentences of a good phrase book. All pronouns savouring of familiarity are to be carefully avoided.