this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2026
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xkcd #3237: Husband and Wife

Title text:

Borat came out twenty years ago this year--closer to the breakup of the Soviet Union than to today--but it honestly feels like it's been even longer, somehow.

Transcript:

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Source: https://xkcd.com/3237/

explainxkcd for #3237

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[–] glimse@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Just say partner. It's a better description of what a marriage should be AND it's gender neutral

[–] stickly@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Always sounded weird and corporate to me. Easiest to just ask what your SO would prefer to be called and not worry about what people might think when you say it

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Partner sounds corporate...?

If anything, it sounds more scientific

[–] tootoughtoremember@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

It seems to be, at least partially, a generational thing.

I grew up in rural, conservative-town USA and am old enough to remember when "partner" was code for same-sex spouse that I'm not legally allowed to marry.

Whereas if you were in a state where you were allowed to marry your same-sex spouse, then they'd be your husband/wife.

Hearing it now, regardless of orientation, just sounds deliberately vague to some of us oldheads.

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

A Singaporean woman was the first person I heard refer to their opposite-sex partner as "partner" back in probably 2010 and I adopted it. I had a pretty skewed idea of marriage as a kid and it instantly changed my thinking.

Your spouse SHOULD be your partner. You're on a team facing this big stupid world together.

[–] AscendantSquid@lemmy.world 33 points 1 day ago (1 children)

AND you get to say 'howdy' when you see them

[–] SGforce@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Is there an American first person plural for "y'all"?..."We's"?

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes! And you've nailed one of the most common.

Mind you, none of the ones I've run into reach the degree of usage y'all does.

But, there's we's, we'ns, and us'ns

This is all in my local area, or in areas close enough to have visited frequently.

No idea what yankees use for dialect first person plural, but we'ns down hyuh have it figgered out right nice.

However, if you want the dialect mind fuck of all mind fucks, wait until someone needs to address a large group of mixed sub groups and breaks out "all'a y'all'ns" which is said as a single unit all'a'y'all'ns. All of you all ones. It's like a black hole of linguistics that sucks you in, and the closer you get, the more spaghettified your brain becomes.

They ain't nuthin much more sigogglin than suthren talkin, an if'n it's in the hills (aka mountains), y'all gonna have ta step quick ta keep up. Shit far (fire) and save matches, y'all damn feriners done missed out on some got dayum good talkin!

[–] Wilson@lemmy.today 1 points 12 hours ago

To the north (still solidly east coast) I would occasionally hear all'a'you's and allyouse for a similar purpose.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Weesa acutally’bin’ talking like JarJar okieday!

[–] Dotcom@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

We's typically means 'us' or also just we