Re: CHAT: use of "they"

Tom Wier wrote:
> Is that assuming that "y'all" becomes generalized as the second
> person plural pronoun, or that this occurs in areas that now use it
> (i.e., the South, various nongeographical subcultures around the US)?
> There seems to be some evidence, if usually only anecdotal, that
> "y'all" is indeed spreading as a plural pronoun, although I think in
> most places it's in fierce competition with "you guys", which is
> also used in Britain, IIRC.
>
> (For some reason, "y'all" still has a rather ignorant connotation
> to this day.
I suspect that that is due to a general prejudice against the South, we
are often viewed as ignorant.  And, yes.  It was assuming that y'all
became generalized, altho, perhaps, a little bit of pro-Southern bias.
:-)  Speaking or "you guys", my paternal grandfather detests that.  He
goes on about the use of "guy" for anyone, saying that it's ignorant or
disrespectful.  IMO, the reason "you guys" is so popular is that
prejudice against "y'all" and other pluralizations (e.g., "yous"), and a
need to distinguish the singular from the plural.  I much prefer y'all
to "you guys", since "guy" has a masculine meaning, and seems
inappropriate to use it to refer to a mixed group or an all-female group
(altho it *is* used in such cases).  Plus, it fits better with the other
pronouns, which are all monosyllabic, while "you guys" is two syllables.

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