“The Plural form of ‘You’ Already Exists” – encore episode

Sometimes the world seems annoyed that there just isn’t a word to express exactly what you want. There’s no English word for that intimate feeling of sitting around a fire in the winter with close friends (though it exists in Danish: hygge). There’s no word for the feeling of anticipation when you’re waiting for someone to show up at your house and you keep going outside to see if they’re there yet (though it exists in Inuit: iktsuarpok). Or what about the word for that panicky hesitation just before you have to introduce someone whose name you can’t quite remember? (The Scots call this tortle.)

Of course, sometimes the word you need seems simple. How do you differentiate a singular versus plural “you”?

But here’s the secret. For this one, at least, the English language already has an answer. Welcome to the summer series of the Words You Should Know podcast, where we’ll revisit “Story Stop Tour” events of earlier this year and popular episodes you may have missed from years past. This is the encore of Episode 14: “The plural form of 'you' already exists (and all these other words you’ve always wanted),” originally released January 23, 2019. Enjoy the show!