Hi people. Bye all.

Question

Hi,I'd like to know more about "all", "people" and similar words used to refer to a group of people. I remember reading a post about this, but I can't find it. It seemed to me that somebody said that "all" and "people" didn't sound natural... well, the fact is that I hear them.Would somebody comment on the following (and similar uses) and tell me more about these forms?Hi all! Hi people!How are you all doing? How are you people doing?Thank you all! Thanks all!Bye all! Bye people!Etc.Thanks in advance

Philip · Accepted Answer

KooyeenHi,
I'd like to know more about "all", "people" and similar words used to refer to a group of people. I remember reading a post about this, but I can't find it. It seemed to me that somebody said that "all" and "people" didn't sound natural... well, the fact is that I hear them.
Would somebody comment on the following (and similar uses) and tell me more about these forms?

Hi all! Hi people!
How are you all doing? How are you people doing?
Thank you all! Thanks all!
Bye all! Bye people!
Etc.

Thanks in advance

My ear prefers "all" as opposed to "people". I couldn't even begin to explain why.

New2grammar · Answer

My two cents:

To my non-native ear, you people occasionally sounds racist as it could refer to a class/group of people. For example,

A white guy speaking to a black: You people are rude.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Use "everyone" if you need to.

Hi Everyone! How's everyone doin' today?

This is where having Southern roots is great, though: Hey y'all! How y'all doing? But if you're not Southern, you will sound ridiculous.

Kooyeen · Answer

Thank you all. <--- so this is not good?
Thank you everyone.
Thanks everyone.
Ohhh, whatever, I'm going crazy.

GG, I think I saw someone say "Hi all" on TCP recently, and I thought "I have to ask about this, one day". And I think.. it was you who said that. Have you ever used "Hi all"?

I hear people say all kinds of things, every time I get so confused. Bye all. Hi people. Hmmm

Thanks, all y'all.

PS:

Grammar Geek How's everyone doin' today?

yes, I've seen "everyone/everybody" used that way. For example, "Nice to meet you, guys. What's everyone's name?"

CalifJim · Answer

Hi all! OK.
Hi people! Never heard it.
How are you all doing? OK.¹
How are you people doing? Sounds odd.²
Thank you all! Fine.
Thanks all! OK.
Bye all! OK.
Bye people! Never heard it.

Post the specific examples you heard, with context, and maybe we can puzzle them out.

¹There's nothing wrong with the plural you all (y'all). Southerners use it in the singular as well, however.
²New2grammar has a valid observation about racism. You people is taken as insulting in certain contexts. Even when not racist it has a condescending ring about it.
A teacher whose students are beginning to get out of control might say, "People! People!" to restore order.

CJ

Kooyeen · Answer

Ok, thanks a lot.
I think that's enough. I've got to stop wondering about weird stuff, lol.

Thanks.

MrPedantic · Answer

You sometimes hear "Hello, people!" in BrE, from someone who has just entered a room. It's faintly jocular, but will irritate at least one person in the room (perhaps because it sounds a little too confident; or because no one likes to be thought of as part of a crowd).

"Bye, people!", ditto.

"Bye, all!" or "Night, all!" seem not too bad.

(The latter was the closing catchphrase of tv policeman Sgt Dixon (of Dock Green), who maintained law and order on British tvs from the mid 50s onwards. So it may raise a glimmer of recognition from the older addressee.)

MrP

Kooyeen · Answer

Ah, interesting, MrP. So maybe we just found another out another little difference between BrE and AmE.

Thanks for your comment!

MrPedantic · Answer

(Cf. CJ's footnote #2.)

Anonymous · Answer

Ok.hi all is ok

Hi people. Bye all.

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