There is a longstanding but probably apocryphal story about the time a rash equerry told an off-color joke in the presence of Queen Victoria of England. She drew herself up and invoking the royal lingual prerogative said in a chilly tone, “We are not amused.” The queen’s use of the royal plural pronoun indicated her aristocratic rank and authority over the people of England. The sovereign was “We,” whereas the commoner was something else -- something lower. Throughout the height of aristocratic rule, we find the regular use of the plural term by people holding very high position. Czar Nicholas II still used the royal “we” in his abdication speech, saying, “In agreement with the Imperial Duma, We have thought it well to renounce the Throne of the Russian Empire and to lay down the supreme power.” The last czar’s brutal death was accompanied by the demise of aristocratic nomenclature. “We” was dead. The...(Read Full Article)