this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2024
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Asklemmy

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[–] [email protected] 87 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I would have thought that β€œy’all” is even more so gender neutral and therefore less offensive/more accepted. It’s a contraction of β€œyou all” right?

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Y'all has become my goto nowadays, up in the northeast

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[–] [email protected] 79 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (8 children)

"y'all" fills a legitimately useful gap the English language has. Other languages have a word like this.

Edit: also something cool I just found out, some languages have a way to disinguish "we" (you and I), and "we" (me and the rest of us, not you). It's called clusivity and is missing from European languages. Many indigenous languages of the Americas and Oceania have this, as well as Vietnamese and northern dialects of Mandarin.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Not a gap in every dialect! "Ye" is another plural second person used in Ireland

[–] Zoomboingding 9 points 2 months ago

Hear y'all hear y'all, Reggie King from o'er the holler brought pawpaw moonshine for the weddin'

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[–] baronvonj 8 points 2 months ago

The worst is when a language formally has a disambiguating word but then speakers all just decide to not use it.

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[–] [email protected] 49 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I’m from Australia and I’ve started calling all groups of people yall because it’s gender neutral… very unaustralian term, and I love so much the irony of iconic southern terms being used to support trans activism

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago

I'm German and I use y'all all the time when speaking English. it's funny, most of my English is from the internet so it's the most crazy mix of english

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Why bother with importing y'all when we already have yous (or youse depending on how you want to spell it)? Or you could just treat 'you guys' as gender neutral, it effectively is these days with how people use it.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Youse is too damn bogan for my taste

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (2 children)

As an Australian, why bother importing "y'all" when everyone is already "mate"?

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[–] Chainweasel 45 points 2 months ago (10 children)
[–] So_zetta_slowpoke 9 points 2 months ago

Yinz goin aht n abaht in dahntahn Picksburgh to watch da Stillers game?

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (15 children)

People where I am from call everyone "you guys" - men, women, trans, doesn't matter, everyone is just "you guys" even when it's a woman addressing a group of women.

The literal meaning isn't gender neutral, but in actual practice, it 100% is.

As for "y'all" or "you all", I don't see how it could possibly be interpreted as offensive to any gender.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago (3 children)

"You People" is the one to be avoided

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"howdy fuckers" is the opposite as it sounds bad on paper but in practice it goes over well (except with middle aged moms)

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"G'day cunts" goes over either extremely well or extremely poorly, with no in-between

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[–] TwoBeeSan 41 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yall is the genderless southern hospitality greeting.

No bullshit no hate. Only yall

[–] stardom8048 53 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I've used y'all intentionally as a gender neutral term for years in the south.

Lately I've even seen "y'all means all" used as a pride slogan in the south.

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[–] Mostly_Gristle 31 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This needs a line going up the Appalachians for the "You-uns" belt.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 months ago (1 children)

And somewhere there's "yinz".

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I was just about to point out that the map is missing a small "yinz" enclave around Pittsburgh/Johnstown

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[–] theywilleatthestars 25 points 2 months ago

I mean, neither "you" nor "all" is a gendered term in any way

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 months ago (2 children)

as a trans person, I'm not offended by y'all in the slightest

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[–] nadiaraven 18 points 2 months ago (6 children)

Y'all is the opposite of offensive for trans people. I lived in the south for a while, and I now use y'all specifically to be inclusive. I wouldn't say "you guys" is offensive to trans women, but I would say for me and likely other trans women it briefly brings to mind being misgendered in the past, so I would call it a small kindness to ube as gender neutral as possible.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I thought y'all was just a gender neutral term combining you and all.

How would it be wrong or offensive to refer to refer to trans person as "y'all"? Genuine question.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I'm not from the south and use "y'all" all the time. Find it very useful for filling in a gap that English has and slightly faster than saying "you all". Its gender neutral in my opinion.

Never once thought of it as offensive.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I'm from New Jersey and have never heard anyone unironically say "youse guys". Side note we also don't call it "Joisey".

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago

How you fuckers doing, eh?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)
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[–] littlewonder 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I'm from "you guys" but I've lived in "y'all" and now I'm forever team "y'all," regardless of where I'm living.

It's the best export from the south, except maybe Texas brisket and pecan pie.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Y'all reminds me of the bible belt. I'm not transgender but I am queer and now and then it makes me uncomfortable.

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[–] captainlezbian 10 points 2 months ago

Y’all actually has gained particular traction in the north through the queer community. Most trans people I know use y’all even if their geographic location doesn’t indicate they should

[–] Olap 9 points 2 months ago

Yous in Scotland is great to wind up Proper English speakers. If they whinge they get a y'all

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

We are afraid to use common greetings now? How about we all refer to each other as "carbon units"?

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[–] Etterra 8 points 2 months ago

Y'all = you all, which is gender neutral.

Also that map is missing the Chicagoland y'all exclave.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

Second person never has a gender in English. Saying "you" should also be fine, or "thee" if you feel like getting your quaker on.

Special requests notwithstanding - the platinum rule here is just to accommodate whatever you reasonably can.

[–] 0_0j 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Youse LOL, almost lost it when I heard it one time

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (3 children)

People who don't even live in the USA saying "y'all" is pure pain

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (3 children)

We need a better second person plural in English. Y'all works but its a big language gap

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

Hey...

Folks

Friends

Comrades

Everyone

People

Pals

You motley crew

Weirdos

Siblings

Fuckers

..how you doing, wanna go to the movies?

(this is by no means exhaustive list, the point is there are plenty of existing and perfectly acceptable alternatives, pick one, or more, and get comfortable with it)

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

I'll throw in "folks" as another gender neutral option. I say "you folks" all the time, especially in professional contexts. I'm not from the South, but I have family there so y'all is a part of my vocabulary. I use it in more informal situations pretty commonly.

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