When “you” means “I”

Hi!
This is Jiro.

Recently, I watched a free movie on YouTube called “Bicentennial Man” with Robin Williams, my favorite actor.

Today I want to share this interesting experience with you.

Here is a quiz for you:

What did the robot call himself?
Choose one: ① one ② I ③ you
・
・
・

The answer is… (drum roll) all three!

Let me explain.

① “One” (most surprising to me)

At first, the robot called himself “one.” For example:
・”Will that be one’s name?” (one’s = my)
・”One is always glad to be of service.” (One is = I am)

I was very surprised! I only knew “one” meaning “people in general,” like:
・”One is mortal.” (= People are mortal)
・”One must be kind to others.” (= We must be kind to others)

I did some research. Using “one” to mean “I” is very old, very formal, and sounds like you have no feelings.

② “I” (most common)

Because “one” surprised me so much, I read the original novel “The Positronic Man” by Isaac Asimov. In the novel, the robot never says “one”! Instead, he always says “I, I, I, I, I…”

Of course, “I” is the most normal way to talk about yourself.

③ “You” (even more surprising!)

In the novel, I found this sentence: “You are a robot.”

I thought, “Is there another robot? Who is ‘you’?”

I did more research. In English, people sometimes use “you” when talking to themselves, especially when encouraging themselves:

・”You can do it!”
・”You should calm down.”

In Japanese, we say “I can do it” or “I should calm down.” We always use “I” when talking to ourselves.

Do you remember the famous Japanese song that starts “I am foolish, such a fool…”? Everyone knows this song! If the singer had said “You are a fool,” it would be an insult to another person!

It seems English speakers think more objectively, even about themselves.

④ When “one” changed to “I”

In the novel, the robot always says “I.” But in the movie, he starts by saying “one, one, one…”

Then suddenly, he stops saying “one” and starts saying “I.” When do you think this happened?

It happened when the robot wanted to be free. He says to his owner: “I want to be free” (not “one wants to be free”).

Here, the movie makers used language to show the robot’s new feeling of independence and self-awareness. This was a great idea!

My recommendation

I was impressed by the movie, so I read the original novel. That was interesting too.

Honestly, reading English books is usually hard for me. But if you watch an interesting movie in English first, that can help you very much when you try to read the book.

I recommend watching a movie you like, then reading the book version. It’s a good way to learn! Happy learning!