"man" vs. "guy" redux

[Herbert Stahlke]

But can the men in Athens refer to a couple of female lifeguards as "you
guys" or "a couple of guys"?  They can't over here in Muncie.  It's not
completely gender-neutral.  Around here, as reported elsewhere, "guys" can
be used of mixed groups by either sex, of all- male groups by either sex,
but of all-female groups only by women.  To the extent that men can refer to
an all-female group as "you guys" this feels more like a periphrastic 2p
than an appositive.  A clearly nominal use like "a bunch of guys" still
means only an all-male group.
But I think all this has already been said on this thread.

Herb Stahlke


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of David Bergdahl
Sent: Monday, November 18, 2002 9:55 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "man" vs. "guy" redux


Here in Athens [female] lifeguards at the cuty pool refer to each other as
"guys" so it's gender-neutral here (since 1970 at least).
_________________________________
"Raffiniert ist der Herr Gott, aber Boshaft ist er nicht"
--Albert Einstein