Another kind of buddy: ''guy''

RonButters at AOL.COM RonButters at AOL.COM
Fri Jun 15 03:57:34 UTC 2007


I am talking about the vocative of address, as in, "Guy, you forgot to zip up 
your pants."

It is not rare.

In a message dated 6/14/07 11:37:28 PM, Berson at ATT.NET writes:


> At 6/14/2007 11:12 PM, RonButters wrote:
> >Is it only gay men who address each other as "guy"?
> 
> I think lots of younger-than-I men and women, and boys and girls,
> refer to each other as "guys" -- "you guys" -- without distinction as
> to the gender of the guys.  I've even used it myself, addressing
> youngsters:  "You guys need to be quieter in the library."  But of
> the singular I do not speak; surely the vocative singular (if I'm
> using the right term) must be rare.
> 
> Joel
> 




**************************************
 See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list