Prithee English texts, and the difference between the two terms has been debated by scholars. Scholars such as Roger Brown and Albert Gilman have suggested that "prithee" was an ingroup indicator. Other scholars suggest that it is simply the more deferential form. The relationship between the two is complicated by the phrase "beseech you", which was used in the same time period and was clearly the form used most deferentially. Although the closest Modern English equivalent of "prithee" is "please", the two terms presume different attitudes within the addressee. While "please" accompanies a request addressing itself to the positive desire of
Prop-word Prop-word A prop-word is a word with little or no semantic content, used to provide a "support" on which to hang a modifier. The word most commonly considered as a prop-word in English is "one" (with the plural form "ones"). The prop-word "one" takes the place of a countable noun in a noun phrase (or determiner phrase), normally in a context where it is clear which noun it is replacing. For example, in a context in which hats are being talked about, "the red one" means "the red hat", and "the ones we bought" means "the hats we bought". The