Klarinet Archive - Posting 000785.txt from 2002/10

From: Paul Dods <pewd@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] y'all / you guys / yoouse guys /
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 19:03:00 -0500

i live in texas. y'all is the 3rd person plural, and rarely, used as the
3rd person singular in place of 'you'.
it seems to be irelevant if talking to a group of men, women, or mixed,
y'all is the word of choice
i grew up in new jersey, where 'you guys' was preferred.

down here in the south, some of the southern raised ladies get offended at
'you guys' directed to a group of all females. i occasionally lapse back
into my new jersey roots, and get a "I'm a girl, cant you tell..." etc. type
of responses. but that was perfectly acceptable in central new jersey where
i grew up

spanish is so much simpler to comprehend. 'usted' or 'ustedes'

paul

>
> > "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.

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