vousnous

Vousnous is a hypothetical linguistic term used to describe a proposed form of address that blends elements of the French pronouns vous and nous to signal both respect and communal identity. In theory, vousnous would function as an inclusive pronoun or affective address that encompasses the listener and the speaker within a shared social space.

The term is a portmanteau of vous and nous. It has appeared in online discussions and some experimental sociolinguistic writing as an illustrative concept for inclusive address, rather than as a documented grammatical category in French or any standardized language.

In hypothetical usage, vousnous would occupy the second-person slot while encoding a collective stance. A possible illustration could be in a constructed or bilingual setting: "Bonjour, vousnous, et bienvenue à toutes et à tous"—an attempt to acknowledge both formal audience and group membership within a single utterance. In practice, speakers might negotiate formality and solidarity by alternating between vous and nous, or by adopting vousnous as an experimental inclusive form in specific communities.

The concept has not been adopted in mainstream linguistics. Critics warn that it could complicate syntax, blur distinctions between formality and inclusivity, and hinder language learning. Proponents view the idea as a thought experiment about inclusive communication or a possible direction for future language reform in multilingual contexts.

Related topics include inclusive language, pronoun philosophy, and experimental sociolinguistics.