this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2024
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193
What is a gender neutral replacement for man, guys, buddy, etc? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
410 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

So I've realized that in conversations I'll use traditional terms for men as general terms for all genders, both singularly and for groups. I always mean it well, but I've been thinking that it's not as inclusive to women/trans people.

For example I would say:

"What's up guys?" "How's it going man?" "Good job, my dude!” etc.

Replacing these terms with person, people, etc sounds awkward. Y'all works but sounds very southern US (nowhere near where I am located) so it sounds out of place.

So what are some better options?

Edit: thanks for all the answers peoples, I appreciate the honest ones and some of the funny ones.

The simplest approach is to just drop the usage of guys, man, etc. Folks for groups and mate for singular appeal to me when I do want to add one in between friends.

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[–] [email protected] 171 points 8 months ago (9 children)

y'all

[–] [email protected] 70 points 8 months ago (5 children)

Y'all doesn't get enough love. It is gender neutral and extremely versatile.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Vosotros agrees.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Ustedes if you're less formal or you live outside Spain 😁

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

if you're less formal

What a fun way to phrase that. You're not wrong but it's making me giggle.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Or in German: euch

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I'm under the impression that you pronounce it the same way this cat looks.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You know... that's about right.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

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

I still wonder why English (a Germanic language) doesn't have its own pronoun for the plural 2nd person like German (euch) or Dutch (jullie), I think it kinda helps with distinction between talking to one person and talking to multiple people.

The problem is... what pronoun should we choose? I think "yinz" would sound kinda cool, but nobody outside of a very specific spot in the US actually uses it (other than myself I guess).

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I agree. It's the plural of "you" that should be the official standard, since it disambiguates "you." It can even be broadened to include larger groups via "all y'all," as in, not just y'all in talking to, but all y'all in the house.

It can replace "guys", but not "man," though.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago

The plural of you is yous or ye. In Ireland at least.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

It sounds cringeworthy if you're not American though. The standard way of saying it is "you lot" and other dialects, like mine, have "yous".

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Here where I'm from in the US, you occasionally hear a "y'alls" and now I'm going to start using it as a cultural gap between your dialect and mine.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Where I’m from people just assume you’re a hick is you say y’all. It’s not very common in the northern, out Midwest of the US, but everywhere in the south.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's become the go-to in my company

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

Do you work with me? I'm in the US south and my EU colleagues love "y'all" and have started using it (ironically or not :) pretty often.

Warms my heart.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

I have no hint of a Southern accent, but when I moved here "y'all" became almost an instant part of my vocabulary.

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

A LOT of my company is remote, but we are headquartered in Providence Rhode Island.

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

I can't do it, I don't want to sound like I'm from the South.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

If everyone starts using it, it won’t sound southern any more. C’mon, you know you want to.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Take it from them!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago

And, for larger groups, all y'all.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (2 children)

you'uns

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Youse if you’re a Geordie.

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

further down under you may hear "hey, yous lot..."

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

Or if you're near Pittsburgh, "yinz" is the proper spelling/pronunciation.

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

I use y'all a lot and im near Chicago

[–] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I've started using it and I'm Canadian.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I've started using it and I'm north of Canada ... In Detroit

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

Did you know that you can be north of Canada ... in California?

https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-75f887668c7f322a0dd1a226e128cea3

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

At a more northern latitude than part of Canada. Detroit is directly north of part of Canada

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

What in the world. They need to fix that on the next patch.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Me too, but I'm from 'round Minnesota so it's more like ja'll.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

For those not in the US south and afraid of being judged, "all" on its own is an option.

"Hi all" is unlikely to raise any eyebrows

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

"Hi everybody!"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Bingo. I use y'all for everything. Even the singular. It's casual, neutral and relaxed.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Scott the Woz on Lemmy? :o

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

"Hey y'all, Scott here."