Quote:
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Originally Posted by Lhunardawen
Éowyn emphasized the return of their ceremonial respect for and relative unfamiliarity towards each other by using the word ‘thee’ (thanks to Aldarion for pointing it out and Encaitare for the quote), but, ironically, coupled it with the explicit revelation of her feelings.
The next day, we see that Aragorn has once again maintained his respect towards Éowyn as he called her “Lady of Rohan,” but Éowyn made a final act of desperation: she called him by name and knelt before him, but still referred to him as ‘thee’ or ‘thou’. Aragorn refused, but this time, moved by his emotions, he "[took] her by the hand and raised her." We can see that saying ‘nay’ to such a lady was no easy thing for him, perfectly gentlemanly as he is. *swoons, and falls over*
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Actually, my understanding of the thou/you shift, and the bottom of the above quote provided will bear me out, is that
in a conversation where the usage of you/thou shifts back and forth, "you" is a more respectful, more 'distant' usage, while "thou" is more familiar, the sort of thing a husband and wife would use when talking to each other.