Malcolm Gladwell

Why did, I was thinking of, you know, so if someone wrote the hymn How Great Thou Art Today, it would be how great you are. How great you are. Then sings my soul. It's not as good. My savior God to thee. How great you are. How great you are. It doesn't work.

You have to use you. But no, you've said there's problems with both positions. But come on, you're not answering my question. Trying. If I make you language czar, and you get to push... you to the singular plural position and either reinstate thou or establish yous and y'all. Which move are you making?

You have to use you. But no, you've said there's problems with both positions. But come on, you're not answering my question. Trying. If I make you language czar, and you get to push... you to the singular plural position and either reinstate thou or establish yous and y'all. Which move are you making?

One of the things that had not occurred to me until I read that chapter was that in the South, y'all is only, is the plural. That is to say, and if it's addressed to a person, you're invoking unseen others. I hadn't realized it. So if I go to the South and I say, well, that's what y'all think, and I mean just you, I've committed a violation.

One of the things that had not occurred to me until I read that chapter was that in the South, y'all is only, is the plural. That is to say, and if it's addressed to a person, you're invoking unseen others. I hadn't realized it. So if I go to the South and I say, well, that's what y'all think, and I mean just you, I've committed a violation.

I want to go back to something. You said, well, we need to distinguish between the... Plural and singular you. But what problem does it create for us when we can't?

I want to go back to something. You said, well, we need to distinguish between the... Plural and singular you. But what problem does it create for us when we can't?

What I would like to see is the country divided on this question. There would be thou districts, and then they would be y'all districts.

What I would like to see is the country divided on this question. There would be thou districts, and then they would be y'all districts.

Because I don't like y'all, to be honest. I do like thou. I would like thou to come back.

Because I don't like y'all, to be honest. I do like thou. I would like thou to come back.

But is that... This is another sort of interesting language question, though. Is that because, is that going to be as true for our children? Will our children have the same associations with thou? I mean, once, why do I think, I sang that hymn for a reason. I grew up singing that hymn. All of my associations with thou are biblical.

But is that... This is another sort of interesting language question, though. Is that because, is that going to be as true for our children? Will our children have the same associations with thou? I mean, once, why do I think, I sang that hymn for a reason. I grew up singing that hymn. All of my associations with thou are biblical.

If we move into a world in which people's association with religious practice is vanishing, then doesn't that free us up to go back and pick up a lot of that stuff?

If we move into a world in which people's association with religious practice is vanishing, then doesn't that free us up to go back and pick up a lot of that stuff?

And what about the, you mentioned this in, I believe, in passing, the English use of one. You do, yes. One, do the English upper crust resolve this problem by, if I say one in the way that English, one doesn't think that, does one? Right. What am I, am I explicitly freeing up you to be in the plural form? Is that what I'm doing?

And what about the, you mentioned this in, I believe, in passing, the English use of one. You do, yes. One, do the English upper crust resolve this problem by, if I say one in the way that English, one doesn't think that, does one? Right. What am I, am I explicitly freeing up you to be in the plural form? Is that what I'm doing?

Is that why they're doing that? Why does the English upper class use one instead of you?

Is that why they're doing that? Why does the English upper class use one instead of you?

John, sorry to be a dog with a bone here, but why don't we all use the English one?