What is your plural for "you"?

**OC Richard** · 3rd November 11, 04:48 AM

At work we were having the discussion yesterday about how Californians say "you guys" for the plural of "you". Now, where I'm from (central West Virginia) we say "you all" (two seperate words) for the plural but "you" for the singular.

But one of our employees says "y'all" for the singular and "all y'all" for the plural. "You" doesn't exist for him.

A friend from "Picksburg" says "yinz" for the plural.

So what is it where you live?

**Father Bill** · 3rd November 11, 05:06 AM

Oddly enough, in Ontario most of us speak English, so the plural of "you" is "you."

**Standard** · 3rd November 11, 05:10 AM

You guys is normally said, but there is a good healthy dose of you-uns thrown in for good measure.

**CDNSushi** · 3rd November 11, 06:13 AM

Originally Posted by Father Bill

Oddly enough, in Ontario most of us speak English, so the plural of "you" is "you."

**Bob C** · 6th November 11, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Father Bill

Oddly enough, in Ontario most of us speak English, so the plural of "you" is "you."

Ditto here in upstate New York.

**English Bloke** · 3rd November 11, 05:19 AM

What I say for You collectively is "You" or "You all" depending on context, as in "I'd like you all to vote in this poll". I voted You all anyway but then I'm a stranger in town. I've only lived here 13 years. What is commonly said where I live is "Yuz". 40 miles south (Liverpool) it's "Youse" (as in ooze) and 40 miles more (Birmingham) it's "Yowse" (as in hows, there's a bit more to the phonetics than that but I can see your eyes glazing over already...). Nice thread. Luv accents and dialects me! We Brits can pack considerable variation into a very small space.

**denmcdough** · 3rd November 11, 05:24 AM

Richard, we in the "Picksburgh" area (SW PA) are definitely the yinz/yuns type. We have our own lingo here. In fact there's a book called Pittsburghese.

**J_Mimbs** · 3rd November 11, 05:44 AM

When I put any thought into it, which is not all that often, its most likely to be "you" for singular and "y'all" for plural. But I won't say its hard and fast around here.

**dutchy kilted** · 3rd November 11, 05:59 AM

In Philadelphia the plural for you is "yous/yuz/youse." Not quite sure of the proper(?) spelling. Strange how if you go six hours west to Pittsburgh it becomes "yunz/yinz/yuns."

**Lyle1** · 3rd November 11, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by dutchy kilted

In Philadelphia the plural for you is "yous/yuz/youse." Not quite sure of the proper(?) spelling. Strange how if you go six hours west to Pittsburgh it becomes "yunz/yinz/yuns."

Not strange at all! The Pittsburgh area comprises the geographically smallest dialectical area in the United States. What should be of interest for this group is that many of the particulars of the dialect are attributed to the many Scots who settled in the area in the early 1700's. The Scottish influence stuck due to the remoteness of the area and the many low mountains which isolated many settlers. Some words or expressions, such as "red up" (meaning to clean or tidy up) are now used only in the Pittsburgh area, but can be found in the English popular literature of the early 1800's.

I use "you" for both singular and plural. I will admit that when I lived in Philadelphia, I occasionally let slip a "youze," and as a native of Pittsburgh, "yins" and other local dialect sometimes slips out, not matter how hard I try to keep it locked away in some dark recess of my being.

I have a friend from Pittsburgh now lives in Australia who easily identified a fellow Pittsburgh native while standing in a line at an amusement. The other women was shocked and asked how my friend knew where she was from. My friend replied, "Well it was pretty obvious when you said, yins kids get back here."