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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Damn well better.

I believe we've discussed the second person plural here before: here's more on the subject; Anu linked to it in his weekly newsletter:

'You-guys': It riles Miss Manners and other purists, but for most it adds color to language landscape

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

By Delia M. Rios
Newhouse News Service

You guys may not like it, but we're at a cultural watershed.

If you cringed at "you guys," brace yourselves.

What you're hearing is the vibrant evolution of the American language. Yes, "you guys" is on its way to being proper speech.


...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2001942543_youguys01.html


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I agree. "Y'all" is just so much more refined than "you guys." Just as long as y'all don't put the apostrophe in the wrong place. "Ya'll' just don't hack it.


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At the southern restaurant, the waitress asked, "Do y'all want coffee?" My husband's reply, "Just for the two of us older folks. The kids don't drink it."


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But is "proper speech" proper speech?


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Do y'all want coffee?

From over here, I would have thought that should be "D'y'all want c....". (I know better than to try to write the southren approximation to the word coffee.)


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Obviously a fake southern waitress. A real southern waitress would'v asked "Do y'all want sweet tea?"



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A real southern waitress would'v asked "Do y'all want sweet tea?"

Not unless she wanted to be accused of redundancy.


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And she doesn't even need to mention that it's iced tea.


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And she doesn't even need to mention that it's iced tea.




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"I know better than to try to write the southren approximation to the word coffee."

For because there's more than one southern way to say anything, even though Hollywood thinks they're (we're?) all Miss Scarlett.



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