Klarinet Archive - Posting 000769.txt from 2002/10

From: "Roger Benson" <rbenson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] naming instruments
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 16:29:33 -0500

You guys works for boys and girlys here in Florida...

-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Pay [mailto:Tony@-----.uk]
Subject: Re: [kl] naming instruments

On Tue, 29 Oct 2002 13:08:18 -0800, gshannon@-----.com said:

> "you guys" is an American English plural of 'you'. It's regional
and
> it's what we say in Buffalo, NY too. Other variations around the
> country are "youse", "youse guys", and "y'all" (though someone
once
> told me that y'all is singular and "all y'all" is plural). At any
> rate, it's totally gender-neutral.

I wonder. Of course, it may become so, eventually; but surely,
"guys
and gals" still retains some sense.

Douglas Hofstadter wrote,

"...when I have asked some people about it, they have adamantly
maintained that, when in the plural, the word 'guy' has completely
lost
all traces of masculinity. I was arguing with one woman about this,
and
she kept on saying, "It may have retained some male flavor for
*you*,
but it has none in most people's usage." I wasn't convinced, but
nothing I could think of to say would budge her from her position.
However, fortune proved to be on my side, because, in a last-ditch
attempt to convince me, she said, "Why, I've even heard *guys* use
it to
refer to a bunch of women!" Only after saying it did she realise
that
she had just unwittingly undermined her own claim."

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE
http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
tel/fax 01865 553339

... Tennis players do it with fluffy balls...

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