5 ms·

I don't think people outside the midwest understand just how ubiquitous "you guys" is here. After a previous time this discussion occurred on HN, I had to chuck

by cpburns2009 2y ago

I don't think people outside the midwest understand just how ubiquitous "you guys" is here. After a previous time this discussion occurred on HN, I had to chuckle to myself when I heard my sister address a group of little girls as "you guys". It's our version of "y'all".

spondylosaurus 2y ago
Midwest? I thought it was just a West Coast thing! (Also extremely ubiquitous in SoCal.)
- WrongAssumption 2y ago
  It’s both https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/9cw3gb/you_guys_v_yall_in_the_united_states/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/9cw3gb/you_guys_v_...
- Aloha 2y ago
  SoCal it can also be replaced with dude/dudes
  - spondylosaurus 2y ago
    This is true. Sometimes I'll even address my wife as "dude"...
troyvit 2y ago
Even as far west as Colorado we used it the same way when I was young. Then I got a job at an NYC company and the gendered-ness of it was frowned upon. I actually switched to "ya'll" and it worked great. All the New Yorkers just thought that's how Coloradoans talk. So, thanks Texas. Totally unrelated but this Blaze Foley song talks specifically about getting back to a place "where the people say ya'll." It's beautiful: https://blazefoley.bandcamp.com/track/clay-pigeons https://blazefoley.bandcamp.com/track/clay-pigeons
- radlad 2y ago
  I am another Midwesterner who has largely switched from "you guys" to "y'all" (nit: ya'll is not considered correct spelling) after some lengthy and heated Slack discussions between Midwesterners and West Coast at $previousJob. P.S. Michael Cera does a nice cover of that song.
  - troyvit 2y ago
    Dude nice thanks!
- tayo42 2y ago
  That's just corporate culture, not NY I grew up using guys just to refer to group of people
  - lupire 2y ago
    It's PC tech culture.
- m3047 2y ago
  > All the New Yorkers just thought that's how Coloradoans talk. I love it. I blame France, specifically Remulac.
Onawa 2y ago
My first job was as a host at Red Lobster. I was reprimanded for saying "How are you guys doing today?" as I was seating a group of ladies. 16-year old me was trying my best to be polite, but language changes over time and that was one of my first introductions to code switching.
- pessimizer 2y ago
  > language changes over time But this language has not been changing over time. This was a dictate from HR departments, made up from whole cloth. If anything has changed over time, it's that "gals" has been an anachronism for a long while, outside of a few isolated corners of the Southern and Western US where it can still manage to sound cute in some contexts. We don't really need a special diminutive for groups of women. That being said, it's not formal language, it's chummy. If you're a 16 year old host at a restaurant speaking to a group of women older than you, you probably shouldn't be chummy.
  - radlad 2y ago
    I'd hardly call Red Lobster formal. "Red Lobster Hospitality, LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain," according to Wikipedia.
    - pessimizer 2y ago
      Any interaction a 16 year old employee has with a group of strange women who are customers and are older than him should be respectful.
      - radlad 2y ago
        I maintain that the sentence shows no disrespect to my Midwestern sensibilities. It's considered common courtesy to ask someone how their day is going, and I don't consider "you guys" to be a sign of disrespect. In fact, it seems quite clear to me that the parent was attempting to be warm and welcoming.
ddingus 2y ago
Yep. When I first encountered it years ago, that was my take. You'll for Midwesterners. Cool. Well, I mooched it, and have seen it propagate here in the Northwest. Will not be long before it takes more general hold as we exchange people. I seem to be bumping into it here (PDX) area more these days. My favorite bit in all this is: "All Y'all" which is simply plural for "Y'all", plus a subtle bit of familiarity state info. If everyone is close, in agreement, likely to act as one, then "y'all" works for single as well as multiple people. All y'all gets invoked when the group has differences. Maybe a few couples, or some people are new, or may be disagreeable in some way. English is a lot of fun, because it allows for a very robust ad-hoc communication. Over time, the lexicon is never dull!
yunwal 2y ago
You guys is the default on the East Coast too. It wasn't until very recently that people started being concerned about it being a gendered term.

spondylosaurus 2y ago

Midwest? I thought it was just a West Coast thing! (Also extremely ubiquitous in SoCal.)

WrongAssumption 2y ago
It’s both https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/9cw3gb/you_guys_v_yall_in_the_united_states/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/9cw3gb/you_guys_v_...
Aloha 2y ago
SoCal it can also be replaced with dude/dudes
- spondylosaurus 2y ago
  This is true. Sometimes I'll even address my wife as "dude"...

troyvit 2y ago

Even as far west as Colorado we used it the same way when I was young. Then I got a job at an NYC company and the gendered-ness of it was frowned upon. I actually switched to "ya'll" and it worked great. All the New Yorkers just thought that's how Coloradoans talk. So, thanks Texas. Totally unrelated but this Blaze Foley song talks specifically about getting back to a place "where the people say ya'll." It's beautiful: https://blazefoley.bandcamp.com/track/clay-pigeons https://blazefoley.bandcamp.com/track/clay-pigeons

radlad 2y ago
I am another Midwesterner who has largely switched from "you guys" to "y'all" (nit: ya'll is not considered correct spelling) after some lengthy and heated Slack discussions between Midwesterners and West Coast at $previousJob. P.S. Michael Cera does a nice cover of that song.
- troyvit 2y ago
  Dude nice thanks!
tayo42 2y ago
That's just corporate culture, not NY I grew up using guys just to refer to group of people
- lupire 2y ago
  It's PC tech culture.
m3047 2y ago
> All the New Yorkers just thought that's how Coloradoans talk. I love it. I blame France, specifically Remulac.

Onawa 2y ago

My first job was as a host at Red Lobster. I was reprimanded for saying "How are you guys doing today?" as I was seating a group of ladies. 16-year old me was trying my best to be polite, but language changes over time and that was one of my first introductions to code switching.

pessimizer 2y ago
> language changes over time But this language has not been changing over time. This was a dictate from HR departments, made up from whole cloth. If anything has changed over time, it's that "gals" has been an anachronism for a long while, outside of a few isolated corners of the Southern and Western US where it can still manage to sound cute in some contexts. We don't really need a special diminutive for groups of women. That being said, it's not formal language, it's chummy. If you're a 16 year old host at a restaurant speaking to a group of women older than you, you probably shouldn't be chummy.
- radlad 2y ago
  I'd hardly call Red Lobster formal. "Red Lobster Hospitality, LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain," according to Wikipedia.
  - pessimizer 2y ago
    Any interaction a 16 year old employee has with a group of strange women who are customers and are older than him should be respectful.
    - radlad 2y ago
      I maintain that the sentence shows no disrespect to my Midwestern sensibilities. It's considered common courtesy to ask someone how their day is going, and I don't consider "you guys" to be a sign of disrespect. In fact, it seems quite clear to me that the parent was attempting to be warm and welcoming.

ddingus 2y ago

Yep. When I first encountered it years ago, that was my take. You'll for Midwesterners. Cool. Well, I mooched it, and have seen it propagate here in the Northwest. Will not be long before it takes more general hold as we exchange people. I seem to be bumping into it here (PDX) area more these days. My favorite bit in all this is: "All Y'all" which is simply plural for "Y'all", plus a subtle bit of familiarity state info. If everyone is close, in agreement, likely to act as one, then "y'all" works for single as well as multiple people. All y'all gets invoked when the group has differences. Maybe a few couples, or some people are new, or may be disagreeable in some way. English is a lot of fun, because it allows for a very robust ad-hoc communication. Over time, the lexicon is never dull!

yunwal 2y ago

You guys is the default on the East Coast too. It wasn't until very recently that people started being concerned about it being a gendered term.