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> the royal 'we' as in all of humanity

Sorry for being a prick; but the royal 'we' is the exact opposite of the 'we' in all of humanity. Royal 'we' is when the speaker refers to him-or-herself with the first-person plural pronoun, as was common among sovereigns ("we the Emperor of the French"). These days most commonly seen in academic articles, where single authors refer to themselves as "we" for some reason.



> single authors refer to themselves as "we" for some reason

They mean "we" as in "you (the reader) and I (the author)". "We can see that", etc. It's as if the author is a guide on a journey.


Are you certain that's the intention? That's not how I've interpreted it in papers.


You know, I'm not actually certain. But it's how I've interpreted it and been taught to interpret it in academic circles, albeit unofficially. If anyone has any formal indication that it means otherwise I'd love to read more about it. I'm also interested in your interpretation.


I'm sure conventions differ, but in Mathematics papers, yes, that is the idea behind "we".


Oh, nice, would have never guessed




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