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guys != gender neutral

Subject: guys != gender neutral
From: scott at doc.net.au (Scott Howard)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:08:11 -0700
In-reply-to: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]> <[email protected]> <[email protected]> <[email protected]> <[email protected]>

On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 11:10 AM, Jo Rhett <jrhett at netconsonance.com> wrote:

> Guys seem to think that it's gender neutral. The majority of women are
> used to this, but they have indicated to me that they don't believe it to
> be very neutral. Using "guys" is not gender neutral, it's flat out implying
> the other gender doesn't matter. *
>

The Oxford English dictionary apparently disagrees with you.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/guy?region=us&q=guys
(*guys*) people of either sex: * you guys want some coffee?
*

As other many words in the English language there are multiple definitions,
and one of those definitions is gender specific - but the one above is very
much gender neutral ("either sex" - it doesn't get much clearer than that!)

  Scott

Follow-Ups:
- guys != gender neutral
  - From: lstewart at superb.net (Landon Stewart)
- guys != gender neutral
  - From: bjorn at mork.no (Bjørn Mork)
- guys != gender neutral
  - From: jgreco at ns.sol.net (Joe Greco)

References:
- really nasty attacks
  - From: mmata at intercom.com.sv (Miguel Mata)
- really nasty attacks
  - From: bortzmeyer at nic.fr (Stephane Bortzmeyer)
- really nasty attacks
  - From: patrick at ianai.net (Patrick W. Gilmore)
- really nasty attacks
  - From: jim at reptiles.org (Jim Mercer)
- guys != gender neutral
  - From: jrhett at netconsonance.com (Jo Rhett)

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