Why does the Foreign Legion code of honor use "tu"?
Of course, it's addressed from the high command to subordinates. That points to "tu", but there are a couple of reasons that might have called for "vous". Before I forget to paste the link, scroll way down at http://foreignlegion.info/traditions/.
It's addressed to all Legionnaires. So it's plural.
It's from a military organization, so treating people as individuals is anathema. Individuals are tu, groups are vous.
I have heard that soldiers call each other "tu" as part of esprit de corp. Might that be the reason? But it is not a peer to peer document.
Is there some nuance of "tu" that can make it applicable to a group?
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It's from a military organization, so treating people as individuals is anathema.
Citation needed.
Individualising the requirements prevents lazy individuals from justifying their laziness on the grounds that the corps meets the standards so they personally don't need to.
But it is not a peer to peer document.
In the context given in your source, it's as peer-to-peer as any address can be, in that each legionnaire appears to be addressing himself.
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