# you spelled U **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522 "2003-05-11T18:05:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![owlofcreamcheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@owlofcreamcheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlofcreamcheese)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/1 "2003-05-11T18:05:46Z")
I was thinking about something, all the internet type kids these day spell ‘you’ as ‘U’. I was thinking about how dumb and stupid that looks. but now, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense and I almost think that we SHOULD spell it that way. I would forever be prejuidice against it and could never get used to a formal document with “U are entitled to these rights…” or something. but if we were to start from scratch, I really think that sort of makes sense. think about it, the personal pronoun is ‘I’ a single vowel thats stuck in myseriously uppercase. and then no other pronoun follows that pattern. it doesn’t seem really doable to totally redo all the pronouns to standardize them, but the fact that we have one thats already pronounced exactly like a single vowel sort of lends itself to changeing it to fit the pattern. what do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Honesty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f04885/32.png) [@Honesty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honesty)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/2 "2003-05-11T19:24:03Z")
Hmm, it should be spelled that way, but I kind of like the regular ole “You” better. U-Turn Brian ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/3 "2003-05-11T19:32:27Z")
I’m surprised you think “I” and “U” should be capitalized at all since you apparently eschew all the other capitalizaiton rules. Why only pronouns? ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/4 "2003-05-11T19:35:17Z")
Good Lord! If we were to start from scratch, we would have to re-do the entire English language! First, let’s get rid of some letters. ‘C’ can make a sound like an ‘S’ or a ‘K’ but nothing unique. Out it goes. Who needs ‘X’? It either sounds like a ‘Z’ or a ‘KS.’ And everything would be spelled differently. du u laik 2 reed this? On the other hand: Language changes all the time. It’s unavoidable. We don’t talk like they did when ‘Beowolf’ was written. It wouldn’t surprise me if some fundamental changes in English occured because of the computer revolution. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/5 "2003-05-11T21:26:24Z")
Yes, but “you” and “u” developed as two entirely different concepts. Its pure coincidence that they happen to sound alike. Odd OP for a GD… I suspect PUI. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/6 "2003-05-11T21:54:24Z")
i don’t like using lower case i as a personal pronoun. It looks UGLY. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/7 "2003-05-11T21:57:25Z")
I think it looks like shite. Maybe one day it will be an acceptable variant, maybe even the most commonly used spelling. Right now, it looks fkwitted. ---
**Author:** ![owlofcreamcheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@owlofcreamcheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlofcreamcheese)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/8 "2003-05-12T01:28:33Z")
it does look dumb, since thats not how we learned it, but it would make sense to have a bit of a theme in the pronouns, especially since ‘I’ has a rule that applys only to it (capitalization) while there is another pronoun that could be written that way but isn’t ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/9 "2003-05-12T01:50:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by owlofcreamcheese \* > \*\*it does look dumb, since thats not how we learned it, but it would make sense to have a bit of a theme in the pronouns, especially since ‘I’ has a rule that applys only to it (capitalization) while there is another pronoun that could be written that way but isn’t \*\* The first-person singular pronoun _I_ is also the only pronoun that[ul][li]is only one letter[/li][li]refers to the person saying it, and no one else, as the sentence’s subject[/li][li]Hi, **Opal** (nice to meet you)[/ul][/li]But evidently you are suggesting that the second-person pronoun _you_ become _U_, which also consists of only one letter, in which case the “theme” would be that one-letter pronouns get capitalized (a “theme” which, arguably, is already present). But why stop there? Why not shorten _he_ to _E_? Eliza Doolittle would probably be very pleased. I can’t believe that this thread has lasted for nearly eight hours in GD when [Serial commas](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=181247) got moved in barely nine hours. Now _that_ was a great debate. ---
**Author:** ![FudgeNugget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7cd45c/32.png) [@FudgeNugget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FudgeNugget)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/10 "2003-05-12T01:53:14Z")
Guys…it’s just two more letters. Either write proper English or don’t write at all. It’s annoying when “internet type kids” start mutilating the language. ---
**Author:** ![Optihut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/edb3f5/32.png) [@Optihut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Optihut)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/11 "2003-05-12T09:30:30Z")
V are not going to support this nonsense 😛 ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/12 "2003-05-12T12:25:45Z")
\>It’s annoying when “internet type kids” start mutilating the language. Just laik wen Shaykspeer myootilayted Yinglish! ---
**Author:** ![InquisitiveIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3ec8ea/32.png) [@InquisitiveIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InquisitiveIdiot)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/13 "2003-05-12T16:29:22Z")
It’s isn’t “u” anymore. “You” is now spelled “jo0.” As in: ``` "j0O 14m3R!!!1 I 0\/\/nz0r5 jo0r |\|0o|3 4$$!!1!" ``` Jeez. Keep with the times, old man. ---
**Author:** ![Greensabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Greensabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greensabre)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/14 "2003-05-12T16:46:38Z")
u guys, dis is a CWOT. GWTP, engrish changes all teh time. lol. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/15 "2003-05-12T16:54:46Z")
**Moderator’s Note:** I think you should have posted this in IMHO, so I’ll move it there for you. Thank you for your cooperation. ---
**Author:** ![FudgeNugget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7cd45c/32.png) [@FudgeNugget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FudgeNugget)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/16 "2003-05-12T19:41:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by athelas \* > \*\*\>It’s annoying when “internet type kids” start mutilating the language. > > Just laik wen Shaykspeer myootilayted Yinglish! \*\* Shakespeare wrote in iambic parameter or whatever it was called, in archaic English. What the hell do we have today? Is this the next step in the evolution of our language? d0rks, omg wtf dis looks SO stoopid, cmon ppl, lern 2 write, mad pr0pz 2 all mah homies and rememba azNs 2 da PhUllEsT! :rolleyes: :mad: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/17 "2003-05-13T11:02:13Z")
If we follow that logic, Owl, do we have to start writing be as B and sea/see as C, too? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/18 "2003-05-13T11:32:18Z")
u r ntld 2 ts rts i m gnst te dia v shtng wds t lks dm ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/19 "2003-05-13T13:08:21Z")
Once again, I think the Dutch are ahead of us here. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522/20 "2003-05-13T22:04:19Z")
It must be confusing for folks from Burma (is it Myanmar now?) “U” is roughly the same as “mister” there. Remember U Thant? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-u/174522.md?page=2)