nornen:Why not simply one for the third person

It would be the best, but many find calling people with a word reserved for things disturbing.

Why have plurals for the first and third person

Because they are fundamental.

Tangi:

nornen:Why not simply one for the third person

It would be the best, but many find calling people with a word reserved for things disturbing.

If there's only one pronoun, then it can't be "reserved" for things, cxu ne?

Tangi:

citajxo:Why have plurals for the first and third person

Because they are fundamental.

Just because something is in the Fundamento doesn't mean it MUST be used. "Svati" is "Fundamenta" but I daresay it's hardly ever used.

orthohawk:
Just because something is in the Fundamento doesn't mean it MUST be used. "Svati" is "Fundamenta" but I daresay it's hardly ever used.

Is something else more commonly used in place of "svati"?
Or is it that the topic of matchmaking is hardly ever discussed?

nornen:
Most languages in my country (Guatemala) don't have any personal pronouns at all. Why not remove them completely?
A lot easier.

Esperanto is the language on its own. It is not any language in Guatemala, America or Europe. So you have to accept its rules if you want to speak it. That is the answer to any stupid change/reform-kind question.

Bemused:

orthohawk:
Just because something is in the Fundamento doesn't mean it MUST be used. "Svati" is "Fundamenta" but I daresay it's hardly ever used.

Is something else more commonly used in place of "svati"?
Or is it that the topic of matchmaking is hardly ever discussed?

I would use it if I spoke Esperanto with my observant Jewish friends, but we speak English. We usually use the Hebrew words "shadchan" (matchmaker) and shidduch (match).

nornen:Why even more pronouns?

Why not simply one for the third person singular, like we have with first and second person?
Singular: mi - vi - ĝi

Why have plurals for the first and third person, when we have no singular-plural distinction for the second person?
Plural: mi - vi - ĝi

I think that getting rid of 'ili' and 'ni' might be a bit confusing, but I would be game with getting rid of sxi/li.

Red_Rat_Writer:

nornen:Why even more pronouns?

Why not simply one for the third person singular, like we have with first and second person?
Singular: mi - vi - ĝi

Why have plurals for the first and third person, when we have no singular-plural distinction for the second person?
Plural: mi - vi - ĝi

I think that getting rid of 'ili' and 'ni' might be a bit confusing, but I would be game with getting rid of sxi/li.

Why would having the same word for "mi" and "ni" be more confusing than having the same word for singular "vi" and plural "vi"?
In German there is a merger between "ili" and formal "vi", and it is not confusing.
In American Spanish there is a merger between "ili" and plural "vi", and it is not confusing.
In various Mayan languages there are no personal pronouns at all, and it is not confusing.
I think it just depends on what you expect from your national language point of view.

nornen:

Red_Rat_Writer:

nornen:Why even more pronouns?

Why not simply one for the third person singular, like we have with first and second person?
Singular: mi - vi - ĝi

Why have plurals for the first and third person, when we have no singular-plural distinction for the second person?
Plural: mi - vi - ĝi

I think that getting rid of 'ili' and 'ni' might be a bit confusing, but I would be game with getting rid of sxi/li.

Why would having the same word for "mi" and "ni" be more confusing than having the same word for singular "vi" and plural "vi"?
In German there is a merger between "ili" and formal "vi", and it is not confusing.
In American Spanish there is a merger between "ili" and plural "vi", and it is not confusing.
In various Mayan languages there are no personal pronouns at all, and it is not confusing.
I think it just depends on what you expect from your national language point of view.

In German and Spanish, one uses the pronouns. I don't know Mayan languages but I would think that each "person" has a separate ending to differentiate, thus no need for pronouns.

I like ĝi since it does basically what it needs to do and already exists. In the long run I'd prefer ri or equivalent. But ĝi works so long as one doesn't conflate it with English "it", given that it is completely acceptable Esperanto to use ĝi for humans.

Okay,
I think I'm starting to agree with the no plural pronoun concept. I'm going to play around with the idea in one of my stories, and see if it's still readable.