Is It Correct to Say Your Guys's?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the grammatical correctness and usage of the phrase "your guys's," with participants sharing their observations and reactions to its use in spoken language. The scope includes informal language, grammar, and regional dialects.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express discomfort with the phrase "your guys's," describing it as clumsy and grammatically incorrect.
  • There is a question about the pronunciation of "guys's," with some suggesting it is pronounced as "guyzez," which contributes to its awkwardness.
  • Some participants note regional variations, such as "youse guys" or "y'all's," and speculate on the origins of "your guys's" in different dialects.
  • There is uncertainty about the correct possessive form, with suggestions that it could be "guys'" or "guys's," and some participants are not willing to definitively state which is correct.
  • One participant mentions that the spoken language may not clearly distinguish between plural and possessive forms, leading to the creation of phrases like "your guys's."
  • Some participants share their experiences of hearing the phrase in various contexts, including media and personal interactions.
  • There is a humorous exchange about the phrase leading to absurd scenarios, reflecting the participants' engagement with the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that "your guys's" sounds awkward and is grammatically questionable, but there is no consensus on its correctness or the appropriate possessive form. Multiple competing views remain regarding its usage and pronunciation.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of definitive grammatical rules governing informal speech and the influence of regional dialects on language use. The discussion reflects a variety of personal opinions and experiences rather than established linguistic norms.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in linguistics, grammar, regional dialects, and informal language usage may find this discussion relevant.

leroyjenkens
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I noticed recently that I've been hearing people say something that sounds really clumsy and extremely grammatically incorrect. I've heard this many times before from different different people from different places, including the people on the news, and I heard someone say it last night when I was studying with some classmates. This was exactly what he said: "I'll just copy it off your guys's papers".

"Your guys's"? It sounds so bad to me and it just sticks out whenever I hear someone say it. It's like some weird combination of trying to pluralize "you" and sticking it with some weird possessive form of "guys". Anyone else heard this?
 
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Do they pronounce the extra "s" in "guys's" as an extra syllable: "guyzez"?

Down here, people would say something like "I'll just copy it off y'all's papers." :-p
 
jtbell said:
Do they pronounce the extra "s" in "guys's" as an extra syllable: "guyzez"?

Down here, people would say something like "I'll just copy it off y'all's papers." :-p

Yeah, they pronounce that extra syllable, like guyzez. That's the part that makes it sound so awkward.

I hear people say yall as well, and I guess I've gotten used to that, even though that bothers me too.
 
Are these people from New Jersey? I don't mean that question as a joke. In parts of NY/NJ, it is common to say "youse guys" and perhaps this is a bastardization of that.

It certainly is an awkward grammatical construct (and clearly wrong). I've never heard that one before and I'm a grammar Nazi so I HEAR those things.
 
Now I've got this image in my head of someone walking into a costume shop and asking, "Can I see some of your guys's guises?"

<ducking>
 
There's something wrong with their thought processes's functioning.
 
This was exactly what he said: "I'll just copy it off your guys's papers".

"Your guys's"? It sounds so bad to me and it just sticks out whenever I hear someone say it.

Are you sure their's another "s" at the end of guys's? I think it may just be "spelt" guys'.
 
DiracPool said:
Are you sure their's another "s" at the end of guys's? I think it may just be "spelt" guys'.

I think the point here is the "YOUR guys", whether it's "your guy's" or "your guys's"
 
Are these people from New Jersey? I don't mean that question as a joke. In parts of NY/NJ, it is common to say "youse guys" and perhaps this is a bastardization of that.

It certainly is an awkward grammatical construct (and clearly wrong). I've never heard that one before and I'm a grammar Nazi so I HEAR those things.
One person I heard say it is from California, the other from Michigan. I've heard it from a local news anchor in Florida too. I've heard it elsewhere, I just can't remember who. I heard my friend's dad say it for years, but I've started hearing other people say it. I hope it doesn't gain any steam.

And yeah, if you heard someone say it, it would stick out to you like a sore thumb.
Are you sure their's another "s" at the end of guys's? I think it may just be "spelt" guys'.
I was just trying to spell it phonetically, but "guyzez" is better.
I think the point here is the "YOUR guys", whether it's "your guy's" or "your guys's"
It's both. It's the "your" and the "guyzez", i.e. turning "guys'" into 2 syllables. It's like a plural and possessive form of "guy", both at the same time.
 
  • #10
phinds said:
I think the point here is the "YOUR guys", whether it's "your guy's" or "your guys's"

OK, but it's still important to know the correct plural-possessive form of "guys" just for completeness, no? My mom is an Engish professor and would never let that one slide on me.
 
  • #11
Howdys ya'lls guysez's. Whereatabouts be the dictionarium?
 
  • #12
Drakkith said:
Howdys ya'lls guysez's. Whereatabouts be the dictionarium?

Uh ... weuns ain't not got any sich thing
.
 
  • #13
phinds said:
Uh ... weuns ain't not got any sich thing
.

Quiet you! Dogs can't speak bad english! Speak properly or I shall break out the dictionarium again!
 
  • #14
People always say "try and tell him about it" or "I'll try and work it out for you" (those are just some examples). It should be "try to tell him about it" or "I'll try to work it out for you." Some other things really annoy me, but for most other mistakes, I'll maybe notice them, but won't be annoyed by them.
 
  • #15
jtbell said:
Do they pronounce the extra "s" in "guys's" as an extra syllable: "guyzez"?

Down here, people would say something like "I'll just copy it off y'all's papers." :-p

Yep, and you rent trucks at Y'all Haul.

Regarding the op, I've heard this many times and it is interesting to think about what's happening. While the written word makes the distinction between the plural and the possessive forms, the spoken word doesn't allow for this. So I'm thinking that people have created their own method of making this distinction. In fact I think I've probably said this before a time or two, almost instinctively.
 
  • #16
leroyjenkens said:
I noticed recently that I've been hearing people say something that sounds really clumsy and extremely grammatically incorrect. I've heard this many times before from different different people from different places, including the people on the news, and I heard someone say it last night when I was studying with some classmates. This was exactly what he said: "I'll just copy it off your guys's papers".

"Your guys's"? It sounds so bad to me and it just sticks out whenever I hear someone say it. It's like some weird combination of trying to pluralize "you" and sticking it with some weird possessive form of "guys". Anyone else heard this?

It sounds bad, but I'm not sure that it's wrong. Is it guys' or guys's? The former I think, but I'm not willing to look it up.
 

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