Support for ending use of ‘you guys’
Kudos to Eric Smith (no relation) for his correct, well-defined and well-intentioned opinion on the repugnant use of “you guys.”
For years, whenever a member of a restaurant’s wait-staff has greeted my wife and me with, “How are you guys?”, I have countered with, “Did you just call my wife a guy?” With rare exceptions, they say they recognize and understand my objection, but — again with rare exceptions — they say it again, sometimes in the very next sentence.
I fear for the day when Oxford Dictionary recognizes “youguys” (one word) as a proper synonym for the personal pronoun “you.”
Thomas L. Smith, State College
This story was originally published February 26, 2017 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Support for ending use of ‘you guys’."