Is the phrase "you guys" gender specific or gender neutral?

sarabee1995 · 2019-09-20T08:31:41-04:00

Life - Is the phrase "you guys" gender specific or gender neutral? I group up in New England (the... (168 replies).

Poll - Total Votes: 62

Gender neutral -- can apply to a group of men or women or mixed

Gender specific -- applies to men only

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I group up in New England (the northeastern most region of America) and there the phrase is used in a gender neutral fashion.

One of my friends down here just said, "I'm not a guy," when I used the phrase this way.

How about where you're from? Neutral or specific?

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SW-User

It's neutral. It's filling a gap in pronoun system (we have no plural "you" so we have to use phrases like "you all", "you guys", or in some areas, "y'all").

sarabee1995 · 26-30, FVIP

@SW-User True. Technically "you" is both singular and plural but that leads to confusion.

SW-User

@sarabee1995 Yep, that's called syncretism, like how the plural of "deer" is "deer" or the past tense of "cut" is also "cut". So sometimes we have to make up new phrases and words to avoid ambiguity :)

sarabee1995 · 26-30, FVIP

@SW-User 👍

SW-User

@SW-User I knew a girl who always used 'people' 🤭

sarabee1995 · 26-30, FVIP

@SW-User I've heard that too. "You people"... Slightly different meaning, but works.