Written script for NPC's and sudden use of contractions

[MikkoAkure]

Not exactly.

Urianger is only using thou/you incorrectly if you assume he's doing it to sound formal. It would probably be more accurate to say that players incorrectly think he is talking formally because he uses "thou".

He does use "you" occasionally in formal situations, such as addressing Feo Ul as "Your Majesty".

Also, it's not just a matter of thou being informal and you (or ye) being formal. They originated as single and plural forms, and only later the plural "you" picked up its second role as a formal singular pronoun (and eventually took over as the only one in general use).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_(pronoun)

One of the articles you linked just proves my point that he's using it wrong and that thou and you were used at the same time for different things.

Starting in the 1300s, thou and thee were used to express familiarity, formality, contempt, for addressing strangers, superiors, inferiors, or in situations when indicating singularity to avoid confusion was needed; concurrently, the plural forms, ye and you began to also be used for singular: typically for addressing rulers, superiors, equals, inferiors, parents, younger persons, and significant others.

There seems to be a bit of doubling-up there, but I've always generally heard that "thee" and "thou" were used for strangers and inferiors, while "ye" and "you" were used for equals and superiors. Considering the language of the setting, including Urianger's "older Eorzean" has moved on well past 1300s English, "you" as plural in the context of the way Urianger talks doesn't work anymore. It also doesn't make sense for him to just use "thou" for almost every situation and feels more like the writers are just trying to make him sound like he's trying to sound old fashioned.

[Iscah]

One of the articles you linked just proves my point that he's using it wrong and that thou and you were used at the same time for different things.

Yes, of course they were used at the same time for different things. But sometimes that thing was single/plural and sometimes it was informal/formal.

It makes far more sense following the simpler single/plural rule, and in any case he's not often seen in formal situations or addressing groups so there's not much of a track record there.

Plus having followed up the reference for that that confusing and contradictory list of when you do and don't use thou/you for formality, it points to this "Middle English Compendium" which first lists "you" as being a plural noun before going into a list of where it may be used in single form.

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-...onary/MED54032


The usage section of the Wikipedia article also has examples of Shakespeare using it inconsistently for formality, and mentions that the first English Bible translation in the 16th century uses thou for single and you for plural regardless of status.

So it's not that clear-cut and it does continue to be used for single/plural distinction, as it originated.