tumblr linguists pls explain why ‘you’ sometimes needs to be ‘u’ and ‘u’ needs to be ‘you’ and how come i will mix and match my u’s and you’s within the same post or even the same sentence
the difference between “u” and “you” is really interesting to me too, and while there haven’t been a lot of plausible conclusions drawn about variable usage of the two, i’ve observed a few things about it.
one: tumblr has, effectively, its own dialect. in fact, different part of tumblr have different variants of this dialect. usage of “you” vs “u” is a part of this dialect.
(here’s a great video on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDPasRas5u0)
two: a key feature of the “tumblr dialect” is fluidity — tumblr posts generally maintain a very specific cadence. variable usage of “u”/”you” occurs most frequently in order to increase fluidity of speech. the pattern is generally “you” at the beginning of a statement and “u”s in the body thereof. (this pattern is relatively consistent even if there is no beginning “you”.)
three: another factor seems to be emphasis, and authorial intent. “you” is used more frequently when the subject matter is serious, or, as one person already pointed out, if the statement is intended to be forceful. alternatively, “u” has an intrinsic flippancy that speakers frequently use in conjunction with humor, irony, or sarcasm.
four: authors will vary usage of “you”/”u” in instances of repetition, in part because the “tumblr dialect” involves a minimalistic approach to punctuation. (example: “omg i was so worried about u you know”)
five: users often use “u” instead of “you” to address people they know well or feel close to, almost as a form of endearment. (example: “i love u”, “are u ok”, etc.) because “you” carries with it a forcefulness or seriousness, “u” is used more frequently in casual, affectionate exchanges between friends.
six: users use “u” more often if they use other such abbreviations in the same post.
the key difference seems to be that “u” — as a single letter — feels diminutive, casual, and cute, in comparison to the full word “you”, which feels more serious, more professional, or more severe. though the have the same meaning on tumblr, their different connotations can be chalked up to their different visual presentations.
somebody who’s a more skilled linguist than i am should pick this up tbh, would love to hear about any conclusions that have been drawn about this
I am not a linguist, but I also note that some people use the “You” instead of “u” when “ya” could also be used like “I like u, ya know?” and it would be perfectly understandable like that too.
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