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In few occasions I've heard that actors and characters in tv add another 'you' when they are talking to somebody else resulting in an odd "you [insert something here] you" -sentence.

Example: Guy 1: "I finally did it!" Guy 2:"You sure did, you sly dog you!"

Questions that bother me: What is this sort of sentence/idiom/expression called and what is it for? Is it proper language or slang? What does it imply and why would you use it?

aparente001
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Toteemi
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    It is colloquial spoken English, although little used these days. It is a form of emphasis and, in this case, used in grudging (or wry) admiration. I wouldn't try to use it unless you are very sure of yourself. I think that there should be a comma before the final you. – Mick Nov 28 '16 at 16:24
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    It's emphatic repetition, as in *You [are a] sly dog, you [are a sly dog], with many of the repeated elements "deleted". Or maybe not, since you can't exactly apply that rationale to He's a sly dog, him!* – FumbleFingers Nov 28 '16 at 16:27
  • @FumbleFingers I would say that the correct expansion is *You [are a] sly dog, you [are].* Your second example is almost there: *He's a sly dog, he is!* – Mick Nov 28 '16 at 16:32
  • @Mick : What I meant by my maybe not above was that we can't simply say the final element represents the surviving part of *you [are]* or *you [are a sly dog]* after deletion. That line works for *you* because the subject/object versions of the pronoun are identical. But not with *he* because you have to switch to *him* if you delete the final repeated verb *is*. – FumbleFingers Nov 28 '16 at 17:27
  • @FumbleFingers, Mick So it's not a case of you appearing in Determiner function with sly dog appearing as the nominal then, a la you bastard or we band of brothers? And then that last you is definitely not a right dislocation, right? – Araucaria - Him Nov 29 '16 at 23:46
  • @Araucaria, Mick: Me, I think OP's construction here is definitely not the same as we band of brothers. Granted, you probably wouldn't move the initial (object) pronoun to the end of that previous sentence, but I certainly have no problem with *I'm the meanest motherf###er in the valley, me!* – FumbleFingers Nov 30 '16 at 17:49
  • @FumbleFingers You're only taking into account the second you there. The me in your construction and the second you in the OP's is a right dislocation. The first is a pronoun in Det function as in we band of brothers or you numpty ... – Araucaria - Him Nov 30 '16 at 21:06
  • @FumbleFingers .. or us linguists or them bones. – Araucaria - Him Nov 30 '16 at 22:07
  • @Araucaria: them bones? Surely you mean *dem bones* (dem bones, dem dry* bones!).* – FumbleFingers Dec 01 '16 at 17:52

1 Answers1

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I agree with @FumbleFingers, that repeating the personal pronoun is empathic repetition. It is only slang and should be omitted from formal writing; at present and for the near future. It implies that you are putting an emphasis on the fact that this person is a sly dog, and they probably beat you at something. It can be used to vent this feeling, and it is used by some people in speech to express this.

user7214865
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  • That answers most of my questions. Thank you very much. I should probably refrain from using it just to be sure. Out of curiosity: is 'you [noun] you' used more in UK or US english? – Toteemi Dec 01 '16 at 06:37
  • @Toteemi I don't really know, because I do not hear that much UK English, but I would guess it is more common in US English. – user7214865 Dec 01 '16 at 23:46