>When I was learning French at school, I was taught that "tu" was the familiar form of address - to a friend, peer, or sometimes to one who was perceived as "inferior" (a servant, a student, etc.)

Other languages have similar constructions. In Russian, if I remember correctly from almost 40 years ago, the informal and formal can be found in endings on verbs themselves. Thus, if you were greeting someone you knew well you would say something that sounded similar to strawstvee, but strawstveetye if it was a casual acquaintance, superior, etc.

Of course it may be that this word wasn't a verb, but I seem to remember it translated to "how are you" or some such.


TEd