2d plurals (was: "man" vs. "guy" redux)

[Laurence Horn]

At 6:51 PM -0500 11/21/02, Herbert Stahlke wrote:
>Is it possible that y'all used in the singular is polite?
>
>Herb

That's what I was thinking, that it's another round in the same cycle
(although in this case, it would have been very much ritualized
politeness).  In fact, we may have discussed this possibility back a
few years ago when we were discussing "y'all".  I had just never had
one addressed to me (sing.) before.

larry