How pragmatically (in)definite are you and one ?

Abstract

This chapter focuses on two specific pronominal ‘imposters’, you and one as used in Orwell’s semi-autobiographical text Down and Out in Paris and London (1933). It studies the ‘definite-indefinite’ and ‘specific-generic’ potential of the pronouns via the same theoretical framework put forward in Sorlin (2022) with regard to the second-person pronoun, the better to appreciate the similarities and differences between the two pronouns. The aim of this chapter is to investigate the way the two pronouns foreground (and background) their egocentric and altruistic orientation and to what pragmatic purposes. The pronominal comparison within the same corpus allows to perceive why one tends to be used in lieu of you (and vice versa) in strategic places of the essay.