For some years, I've seen, on occasion, the substitution of "you" for "your", as in "Mind you P's and Q's!". I've always assumed it was some kind of random typographical error, missing that last "r".
But I guess I've had it today. In a description of what to take camping in the winter was this: "For you hiking and snowshoeing clothing, please stay away from clothing that is cotton."
It can't be a random typo, as that particular "r" gets lost in a lot of writing. Do people actually speak like this? Or is texting changing the language, derived from "4u hikng&snOshoeing clothng,"?
Is there something going on with language evolution here, or is it a common mistake, or what?
I can't really say I've heard or seen that, except where it's obviously a typo. Never seen it in print media or ads or any place else it would likely get proofed. And that's the kind of typo that spell-check won't flag, though grammar-check would probably catch it.
The reason I say "probably" is that current grammar-check systems are kinda hit & miss … I have mine turned off in Word 'cause I got tired of it making suggestions I disagreed with. Unlike a spell-check system, grammar-check borders on AI, and the programming for AI just ain't there yet. Might be some day, but not at present.
And I'm right next door, Bill, in AZ (which often emulates CA trends) so I doubt it's a regional thing, or derived from SMS abbreviations.
I haven't seen it in any proofread text, such as print. However, I've seen this particular typo(?) in numerous emails and in blogs.
It's hard to search for, since it's not a misspelling, or I'd easily offer a few dozen examples.
When I saw the title, I expected to see lots of -ing words. I thought it was going to be about using the possessive form for the actor of a gerund. I often see that as the objective form of the pronoun.
Examples:
I heard about you taking a vacation in Europe.
I heard about your taking a vacation in Europe.
We were talking about him falling and breaking his arm.
We were talking about his falling and breaking his arm.
Them leaving is quite a loss.
Their leaving is quite a loss.
When I read the first sentence of your post, I thought you were headed towards a different variant — between
I'm interested in what you're talking about.
and
What you talking about? (Probably Wachu talkin' about?)
For your gerund example, I suppose it's just a choice of whether one is more interested in hearing about "you", who took a vacation, or in "your taking" of the vacation, either correct.
But, no, this is a real error, and a particular and common error, that's been bugging me.