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01-28-2021 04:13 AM - edited 01-28-2021 04:41 AM
What do you say when addressing a group of people?
What's your word to address a group? It depends a lot on where you live. Just over 40% who responded to a recent Nextdoor poll asking neighbors for the term they use when speaking to two or more people chose "y'all," with another 26% saying "you guys." Plain old "you" followed with 14%, and "you all" with 13%.
"Y'all" was the most common response in the southern U.S., with "you guys" leading in the North and West, and the Midwest more split between the two. Some cities flipped the trend — with neighbors often saying they have held onto the term they learned growing up elsewhere.
About 6% of neighbors who responded said they had another word or phrase, and those tended to cluster in smaller regions. You're likely to hear neighbors use "yinz" in parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina, while "youse" and "youse guys" appeared frequently in New Jersey and Florida.
In my area, it's you guys; however, I usually say "everyone."
01-28-2021 04:17 AM
"Everyone"
01-28-2021 05:01 AM - edited 01-28-2021 11:10 PM
@Foxxee So true. In the north it's you guys from the mason dixon line on up.
To the south it's you all for transition types, and y'all for true southerners or been there for long enough time.
01-28-2021 05:29 AM
That is definitely y'all.
01-28-2021 07:28 AM
I use both, y'all ,from growing up in southern Indiana, you guys i use quite alot.
01-28-2021 07:34 AM
I use "you guys", and occasionally "y'all".
01-28-2021 07:47 AM
Depends on the group. For my practical purposes, it's "class." When writing, it's "students." When it's the grandchildren, it's "children."
I haven't addressed an adult group in a long time. But it's unlikely I would say "y'all" or "you guys."
In my neck of the woods, it is more fashionable to hear "you guys."
01-28-2021 07:55 AM
I leave it at HI
but I was thinking (we lived in Tex and Fla) when it's that hot, we're keeping cool, with y'all. The other is up north here, you guys. I leave it at HI so as to include all and everyone not offend or leave anyone out.
01-28-2021 08:00 AM
I love all the variants of casual, colloquial conversation. In the North generally, (but with some other variations --"yinz", etc.-- noted by @Foxxee ) when people are casually addressing a friendly group, it's "you guys".
"You all" and "y'all" were tradtionally Southern, but if you frequent social media, you might notice that those terms have made serious inroads in people from other areas. I've noticed that when someone wants to gently "take down" someone else on Twitter, they will frequently begin "Y'all",.......", ha.
Ah, the nuances of language.
01-28-2021 08:12 AM
I was trying to think of the British equivalent. Would the all-purpose "you lot" be the closest? That also has the slightly raffish, egalitarian tone of "you guys" and "y'all". I know for a certainty that in Canada, it's "you guys".
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