Nonstandard second-person plural pronouns

English lacks a standardized second-person pronoun in modern standard usage, leading to the widespread use of nonstandard or regional alternatives. Historically, Old English had distinct forms for singular ("þū"), plural ("gē"), and dual ("git") second-person pronouns, but these distinctions were lost during the transition to Middle English following the Norman Conquest. The singular "thou" and plural "ye" were used in Early Modern English, but by the 18th century, "thou" had largely disappeared, and "ye" evolved into the modern "you," which now serves as the default form for both singular and plural.

This shift was influenced by social dynamics, particularly the adoption of a formal/informal distinction similar to that in French ("tu" vs. "vous") and other European languages. As "ye" became associated with formality, it gradually replaced "thou" in general use, eventually merging into the single pronoun "you" for all contexts. This development left English without a distinct second-person plural form in standard usage, creating a linguistic gap that regional dialects have filled with nonstandard pronouns.

Common nonstandard second-person plural pronouns include "y’all" (originating in the American South, likely from Scots-Irish "ye aw" or West African/Caribbean "you all") , "you guys" (widely used in American English, though considered nonstandard) , "yinz" (used in Pittsburgh and parts of Pennsylvania) , "youse" or "yous" (common in Northern England and parts of Ireland) , "you’uns" (used in Appalachia) , and "ye" (still used in some Northern English, Irish, and Cornish dialects). In New Zealand, "y’all" is also used, while in parts of Ireland, "yizzer" appears as a possessive plural form. Some speakers use "you lot" (common in the UK), "chat" (in some regional dialects), or even "you people" in confrontational contexts.

These forms are often viewed as nonstandard or informal but are deeply entrenched in everyday speech across various English-speaking regions. The absence of a standard second-person plural pronoun in English is not unique globally—about 20% of languages lack such a distinction—but it is relatively rare among Indo-European languages. Despite the lack of a formal standard, these regional variants effectively serve the grammatical need for plural second-person reference in spoken English.

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Origin of 'y’all' in American English?

Why did 'ye' fade in standard English?

Are nonstandard plurals gaining acceptance?

Scribbr

scribbr.com › home › second-person pronouns | list, examples & explanation

Second-Person Pronouns | List, Examples & Explanation

27 January 2023 - There are some other second-person pronouns that are not part of standard modern English—and thus should not be used in any formal context—but which you may encounter in everyday speech, in various dialects, or in older writing. There used to be a clearer distinction between singular and plural, as well as between formal and informal, in English second-person pronouns.

Voice of America

learningenglish.voanews.com › a › different-areas-in-america-different-second-person-plural-pronouns › 5815521.html

Different Areas in America, Different Second-person Plural Pronouns

18 March 2021 - In everyday speech, Americans sometimes use second-person plural pronouns that are not standard.

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org › wiki › English_personal_pronouns

English personal pronouns - Wikipedia

7 September 2025 - See the singular they section for more information. Apart from the standard forms given above, English also has a number of non-standard, informal and archaic forms of personal pronouns. An archaic set of second-person singular pronouns is thou, thee, thy, thine, thyself.

In comments...

John Lawler said...

English lacks a standard anything.

English dialects cover all bases, just not for everybody playing the same game. Or, in this case, a recent rhyme answers the question: Roses are red/Violets are blue/Singular they's older/Than singular you.

and also...

It wasn't a word; it was a paradigm. Just as I, me, my, mine was and still is the first person singular pronoun paradigm, the second person singular (and familiar) paradigm in Early Modern English was thou, thee, thy, thine, and the second person plural (and polite) paradigm was ye, you, your, yours.

Cascabel said...

I think what they mean is there is no plural form that differentiates the singular "you" from the plural "you"...such as "you guys" or "all y'all".

Bold Ben said

There are three forms of the second person singular familiar pronoun which correspond to the three forms of the first person singular and the third person masculine and feminine pronouns (the third person neuter only has two forms).The nominative (corresponds to 'I', 'he', she and it) is 'thou', the accusative (corresponds to 'me', 'him'. 'her' and 'it') is 'thee' and the possessive (corresponds to 'mine', 'his', 'hers' and 'its') is 'thine' The verbs parts used with the nominate case are also specific, for example 'thou hast', 'thou sittest', 'thou art'.

2 of 3

how about "you folks", in lieu of "you guys"?

QuillBot

quillbot.com › home › second-person pronouns │ list & examples

Second-Person Pronouns │ List & Examples

2 October 2024 - The second-person subject pronouns and object pronouns are both “you,” but first- and third-person pronouns have different subject and object forms (e.g., “I” and “me”). “You” and the possessive pronoun “yours” can be plural or singular whereas first- and third-person pronouns have different singular and plural forms (e.g., “I” and “we”).

reddit.com › r/linguistics › why doesn't english have a plural form for the 2nd person?

r/linguistics on Reddit: Why doesn't English have a plural form for the 2nd person?

11 December 2010 -

Not sure if there's an answer, but it sure seems counterintuitive that we have to force "ya'll, you guys, you (depending on context)" as opposed to having a defined plural form.

edit: Extremely interesting! Thanks for the responses.

Top answer

1 of 5

English does have a second personal plural -- it's just the same as the singular. The English word "you" comes from an oblique case of the historical second person plural pronoun. "Thou" is the historical singular, but it has fallen out of common usage.

2 of 5

What's the problem with using "y'all" or "you guys"?

NKyTribune

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Y’all, You’uns, Yinz, Youse: How regional dialects are filling a void in standard English for a plural pronoun - NKyTribune

30 October 2016 - In place of any standardized second-person plural pronoun, English speakers around the world have been forced to scramble to make something up. You’ve heard the solutions: y’all, youse, you guys, yinz, you’uns. These are widely seen as incorrect, or nonstandard.

Grammar Monster

grammar-monster.com › glossary › second_person.htm

Second Person: Explanation and Examples

The second-person personal pronoun "you" has two forms: a singular form ("you are") and a plural form ("you are"). Hang on! Nothing changed! They are both "you are"! That's true. But, it's not always true.

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reddit.com › r/linguisticshumor › examples of 2nd person plural pronouns in english varieties?

r/linguisticshumor on Reddit: Examples of 2nd person plural pronouns in English varieties?

24 November 2023 -

You'll hear this in New Zealand. "Y'all" from the American midwest springs to mind too. What are some other examples?

Top answer

1 of 34

169

“Yizzer” is a 2nd person plural possessive in some parts of Ireland I believe

2 of 34

125

i personally love the distinction in my accent (southern appalachia, US) between the simple "y'all" and "all y'all" as a collective form

Slate

slate.com › human-interest › 2013 › 10 › y-all-yous-you-guys-we-seem-to-need-a-second-person-plural-pronoun-that-is-distinct-from-the-singular.html

Y'all, Yous, You Guys: We seem to need a second person plural pronoun that is distinct from the singular.

The second person became somewhat more complicated after the Norman Conquest, however, when a soupçon of French dialect insinuated itself into the language, and by the 13th century it had become de rigueur to differentiate between not only singular and plural but also polite and familiar address. For this purpose, the second personal plural was pressed into additional service as a singular pronoun of polite address.

Stack Exchange

linguistics.stackexchange.com › questions › 31889 › is-english-unusual-in-having-no-second-person-plural-form

linguistic typology - Is English unusual in having no second person plural form? - Linguistics Stack Exchange

Top answer

1 of 5

English marks plurality in first and third person pronouns (I vs. we, he/she/it vs. they), but not in the second person (you). (The singular thou did exist in English in the past, but is now considered obsolete.)

According to WALS chapter 35 (paragraph 5.1), about 20% of languages distinguish plurality in either first person or second person but not both. So the partial lack of plurality marking in English is present in a minority of languages, but it isn't incredibly rare.

Among Indo-European languages, I think the lack of plurality marking on pronouns is less common, but I don't have any statistics.

2 of 5

Although largely archaic, in some locations (some parts of Northern England/Cornwall/Ireland, among others) the word "ye" is still used as second-person-plural. It can also be found in some older works, such as the King James Bible:

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." John 15:16

(Note that here both "ye" and "you" are both being used as plural second person, with "ye" as the Subjective form - vs "thou" as the singular second person Subjective - and "you" as the Objective form - vs "thee" as the singular second person Objective)

This should not be confused with "ye" as a typographical approximation of "þe" (i.e. "the") as in "þe olde shoppe"/"ye olde shoppe", which arose from the similarities between the cursive gothic letter "y" and "þ" (pronounced "thorn") which was not widely available in movable type.

(Alternatively - for those of you living in the Southern States of America, there's always "y'all". *shudder*)

ef.edu › english-resources › english-grammar › pronouns

Pronouns | EF United States

Pronouns replace nouns. A different pronoun is required depending on two elements: the noun being replaced and the function that noun has in the sentence. In English, pronouns only take the gender of the noun they replace in the 3rd person singular form. The 2nd person plural pronouns are identical to the 2nd person singular pronouns except for the reflexive pronoun.

Study.com

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Second-Person Pronouns | Definition & Examples - Lesson | Study.com

14 July 2019 - Y'all - a contraction of you all, this modern slang is used mostly for plural antecedents and can be subjective or objective. This pronoun is most common in the southern United States. A good writer should be careful about using alternative second person pronouns, especially in formal writing situations.

reddit.com › r/linguistics › why do second person plural pronouns have a tendency to develop into formal pronouns (singular and plural)?

r/linguistics on Reddit: Why do second person plural pronouns have a tendency to develop into formal pronouns (singular and plural)?

4 September 2021 -

Why do second person plural pronouns (ex. you, vos, vous) have a tendency to develop into formal pronouns? From what I understand, "you" came from a second person plural, began to be used as a formal, and eventually developed into its modern use as a general second person pronoun, for both singular and plural, as well as it technically essentially having no value in formality due to the lack of any other second person pronoun in modern English. Due to the use of "you" as the dominant English second person pronoun, "thou" fell out of use. Additionally, "vous" appears to be almost exclusively a plural in French, but has a formal value in some occurrences. Finally, "vos" was originally a second person plural, in both Latin and Spanish, however it began to be used as a formal pronoun in Latin as well as interchangeably with "tu". Eventually, when Spanish came around, "vos" became a second person plural, but then RE-evolved into a formal, then consequently went back into common use in parts of Latin America! Why does this pattern happen?

Top answer

1 of 4

It's a sign of deference. That develops semantically into a sign of respect and then politeness. Consider the nervous transferteenager who wants to approach the girl he likes. It's way easier to go to the her standing in a group and ask "Hey, I have wondered, do you (pl.) like the new XY-movie?" Than to ask directly. Now, even though it's actually intended to be asked a single person a plural form is used out of deference. This sign of voluntary deference can develop into a full respect / sign of relative status (think majestic plural). On some other languages 3rd person singular is used for polite (older German (polite direct address "Er"), Hungarian ("Ön" derived from ő, demanding 3SG. conjugation)), for the same reason: Our exemplar teenager, who is interested in Mary but is shy asks (in her presence) her friend Amy, looking at Amy: Does she like the new XY-movie? Again shyness/deference develops into sign of respect, and later gets used in direct address. (Historic Herman also knew polite direct address 2Pl ("Ihr"), just like English's origin and Romance T-V; and modern German "Sie" (3Pl) originates from a further indirection from the abovementioned now-obsolete "Er": you are formally adressing Amy, but you are not even asking her about Mary, but the group Mary's in.

2 of 4

This happens outside Europe too, but worth noting that even though it’s not an ancestral Indo-European feature, it spread in much of Europe around the late Middle Ages to Early Modern period as an areal feature. It was used to an extent for the emperor or pope in late Vulgar Latin, but really took off in the late Middle Ages when several languages imitated some Western Romance language - quite possibly Old French - by analogy.

ef.com › wwen › english-resources › english-grammar › pronouns

Pronouns | EF Global Site (English)

Quora

quora.com › Why-is-the-second-person-pronoun-you-the-same-in-singular-and-plural-forms-in-English

Why is the second-person pronoun, 'you', the same in singular and plural forms in English? - Quora

Answer (1 of 13): Etymologically speaking, it isn't. The singular form is "thee"/"thou." "You" comes from the plural form, which is why it still uses a plural verb conjugation. Let me head off anyone before they can say that “thou” isn’t modern English.

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Personal_pronoun

Personal pronoun - Wikipedia

2 days ago - The re-use in some languages of one personal pronoun to indicate a second personal pronoun with formality or social distance – commonly a second person plural to signify second person singular formal – is known as the T–V distinction, from the Latin pronouns tu and vos.