I labored to write the management book What Do I Do When I Get There? in a gender neutral fashion. (I mean, how awkward after all is “he/she,” and/or “he or she?”) In the process of putting the book together, I became sensitized to useful gender neutral words, which is why I’ve become so very fond of “y’all.”
Think about it. Is “y’all” singular or plural? Male or female? It just depends, and rather than risk offending anyone by careless gender reference, I simply say “y’all.” It just rolls off the tongue. Try it. It’ll grow on y’all, guaranteed.
Rod
Funny you should mention “y’all” – what used to be known as a country colloquialism made its way into education pedagogy a couple decades ago to describe a step in modeling activities. You might remember the teacher showing you an example on the board or the overhead projector, followed by you doing it yourself, then sharing it with others nearby or in your group or working together to finish it – the “y’all” step. In education, it implies easygoing inclusion, and sounds a little better to my West-coast ears than saying, “OK, now youse guys do it.”
I like “youse guys,” too, but only in fiction.