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The origins of the phrase in English discourse, however, can be traced back to a poem by E. E. Cummings published in 1922 and known by its first line "little ladies more", which contains the phrase "voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" twice. The phrase has sometimes been taken as awkward French because of its formality—''Voulez-vous...'' uses the Formal Pronoun ''vous'' , indicating some kind of distance between the protagonists, which may not seem consistent with sexual activity nowdays. One would expect lovers to be using the informal pronoun ''tu'', making the phrase ''"Veux-tu coucher avec moi (ce soir)?"''. However, the usage of the polite form ''voulez-vous'' may be consistent with high-class Prostitution . Both "Lady Marmalade" and the poem allude to prostitution. In addition, using "vous" implies that the participants have just (or not yet) met, and forms an interesting juxtaposition with the intimacy of sex. Alternatively, ''vous'' could be simply a Plural form, indicating multiple sex partners (French uses the same form for denoting both plurality and politeness; see T-V Distinction ). |
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