4 ms·

Why I’m finally convinced it's time to stop saying “you guys”

3 points by dankohn1 11y ago

Thetawaves 11y ago
what the fuck
kbd 11y ago
Another reason everyone should get comfortable with using y'all as a real/acceptable word in English.
- dylanjermiah 11y ago
  I don't know why, but I really don't like saying or hearing "y'all"
  - kazinator 11y ago
    It's still currently an element of some dialects of American english that will stigmatize you as belonging to a certain class. People not belonging to such a class use "y'all" jokingly in situations where everyone knows it.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
kazinator 11y ago
"You guys" is not only used to denote an all-male or mixed-gender group. Evidently, Jenée Desmond-Harris is unaware that girls also use "you guys" to refer to their all-female peer groups! It's clear from the all-female usage that "you guys" does not mean anything like "you group of males, and ... some less important people".
mjwhansen 11y ago
I'm torn about this. On the one hand, I can see how it isn't the most inclusive language. Saying "you guys" is like using "he" as a default pronoun and kind of outdated in a world that's trying to be more inclusive. Just because it sounds natural to say doesn't mean it's proper. On the other hand, "you guys" is the New England/Northeast version of you plural, and is the most natural for me to say. "Y'all" sounds stupid coming out of my mouth, "you all" sounds like I'm purposefully trying not to say y'all, "you people" is decidedly not acceptable, "you girls" sounds even MORE sexist... Sometimes, you just can't win.
- 27182818284 11y ago
  >Sometimes, you just can't win. folks? people? etc? "Alright folks, let's get back on topic." "Alright people, let's get back on topic." "You folks going to happy hour?"
Jun8 11y ago
Previous thread discussing this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9211180 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9211180.
dylanjermiah 11y ago
"You guys" is gender neutral to me.
JoeAltmaier 11y ago
Its a necessary part of speech, similar to the german Ihr (yall) and Ihren (all yall). It sounds funny to some Americans, but they use other made-up crutches to work around it. If yall used it regularly, it'd seem perfectly natural to yall.

3 points by dankohn1 11y ago

Thetawaves 11y ago

what the fuck

kbd 11y ago

Another reason everyone should get comfortable with using y'all as a real/acceptable word in English.

dylanjermiah 11y ago
I don't know why, but I really don't like saying or hearing "y'all"
- kazinator 11y ago
  It's still currently an element of some dialects of American english that will stigmatize you as belonging to a certain class. People not belonging to such a class use "y'all" jokingly in situations where everyone knows it.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

kazinator 11y ago

"You guys" is not only used to denote an all-male or mixed-gender group. Evidently, Jenée Desmond-Harris is unaware that girls also use "you guys" to refer to their all-female peer groups! It's clear from the all-female usage that "you guys" does not mean anything like "you group of males, and ... some less important people".

mjwhansen 11y ago

I'm torn about this. On the one hand, I can see how it isn't the most inclusive language. Saying "you guys" is like using "he" as a default pronoun and kind of outdated in a world that's trying to be more inclusive. Just because it sounds natural to say doesn't mean it's proper. On the other hand, "you guys" is the New England/Northeast version of you plural, and is the most natural for me to say. "Y'all" sounds stupid coming out of my mouth, "you all" sounds like I'm purposefully trying not to say y'all, "you people" is decidedly not acceptable, "you girls" sounds even MORE sexist... Sometimes, you just can't win.

27182818284 11y ago
>Sometimes, you just can't win. folks? people? etc? "Alright folks, let's get back on topic." "Alright people, let's get back on topic." "You folks going to happy hour?"

Jun8 11y ago

Previous thread discussing this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9211180 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9211180.

dylanjermiah 11y ago

"You guys" is gender neutral to me.

JoeAltmaier 11y ago

Its a necessary part of speech, similar to the german Ihr (yall) and Ihren (all yall). It sounds funny to some Americans, but they use other made-up crutches to work around it. If yall used it regularly, it'd seem perfectly natural to yall.