It is well-known that pronouns ‘thou’ and ‘you’ are linguistic markers which reflect the norms of politeness in social interactions. Language and culture have a direct impact on the way they are used. This contribution aims to demonstrate that these markers are not simply secondary ‘diaphasic variation’ related to the communication situation. They can actually engage the somatic dimension of locutors (Benveniste 1966), notably when an unexpected breakdown occurs in the established interactional framework. The use of ‘thou’ by a locutor in a situation where ‘you’ constitutes the standard of the exchange (and vice-versa) is a way to ‘hit’ the other, and to involve his entire body. This enunciational event leads to proxemic, gestural, and even esthesics and pathemic changeovers. It also acquires a conative function (Jakobson 1963) of interpellate the other. Along these lines, it embodies an elementary ‘somatic predicate’ (Coquet 2022) that does not describe the world but rather ‘states the sensible’ and acts on it, bringing ‘reality’ into the interaction. These breakdowns investigation in the French-speaking, Italian-speaking, and Spanish-speaking spheres will allow, therefore, to demonstrate how and why politeness markers constitute the ‘skin of the exchange’. Essential bibliography: BENVENISTE, Émile, Problèmes de linguistique générale, t.1, Paris, Gallimard, 1966.COQUET, Jean-Claude, Phénoménologie du langage, Limoges, Lambert-Lucas, 2022.JAKOBSON, Roman, Essais de linguistique générale, Paris, Minuit, 1963.