Every once in a while I sometimes think about remaking the English writing system, as is normal I’m sure😅, and I wonder what would be the most useful revision of punctuation or phonetic.

  • mommykink
    link
    89 months ago

    “Most useful” is a pretty big role to fill but a proper second person plural would be great. The rednecks unironically got it best with y’all

    • @Whirling_Ashandarei
      link
      28 months ago

      Well technically I think it’s “you” and we used to have “thou” for singular. So, we had it and let it go.

    • @DarthjaffacakeOPM
      link
      28 months ago

      ¡For real😁 I use it all the time with my Texan friends and it’s great! It’s nice feeling like I’m speaking similar to them but also I didn’t realise how much I use the words “you guys” outside of writing.

    • schmorp
      link
      fedilink
      English
      19 months ago

      *youse *you (and use thou as singular again?)

    • jaxxed
      link
      18 months ago

      Funny thing, I think that a plural you was dropped in the beginning because the Brits were trying to escape French and German royalty requiring formal address using the plural form.

      I use “yous” when distinction is needed.

    • @Mamertine
      link
      -18 months ago

      “You all” are the words you’re looking for. Y’all, is short for you all.

      • mommykink
        link
        2
        edit-2
        8 months ago

        The phrase “you all” doesn’t actually fit in the English standardization though and is itself just shorthand for “all of you [individuals],” which just highlights how clunky English handles second person plurals.

        • @mojofrododojo
          link
          English
          18 months ago

          hence my preference for “YOU’UNS” because if you’re going to be grammatically repugnant then embrace it.

      • @DarthjaffacakeOPM
        link
        18 months ago

        Y’all is much more natural, there’s nothing wrong with contractions.