Although some regional dialects retain the distinction, most English speakers have to make do with using ‘you’ to mean one person or many

No 99 on my list of “things that shouldn’t bother me, but they do” is the fact that the English language has no second person plural pronoun (SPPP) and that “you” is used interchangeably.

Before you (plural, hopefully) dismiss this as a #middleclassproblem, let me assure you that it is not. It is a genuine linguistic affliction that causes confusion and imbues our everyday speech with a clumsiness and imprecision that can be maddening.

I am not the first person to get that this is a problem. Language geeks are venting their spleen all over the world wide web about this very issue. Now I believe a solution is needed once and for all.

Standard Modern English is unusual in that it doesn’t have the distinction. In many European languages, there are even lines drawn between the formal and informal SPPP. In Spanish, for example, it’s tu when you’re having a one-to-one with your mate and vosotros when chatting to your amigos; usted when talking to your bank manager, but ustedes for a gaggle of them. More.

See: The Guardian

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