Second Person Plural

An interesting facet of English is that there's no second person plural form for "you" - as in a term to address a group of people directly. People in the South say "y'all", some of us up here say "you guys". But there are tenuous cases when you don't know when one is addressing, you personally or the entire group.

There's also no polite form for "you". I had a run in with a superior today, and it behooved me to address him directly as I would a peer, and say "you". It was as if the inner Japanese in me came out; Something about it rings harsh. The French say vous to address an elder or person of superior rank, and there's also a polite form in Tamil and most other languages. But this is another case in which English is lacking. It brings a ring of egalitarianism to Anglo cultures. Still, I find it awkward to use in a position where status hierarchies are clearly defined.