As a rule, I use the term narrator for narratives, and the term speaker for most other types of writing, especially academic writing. Although the narrator is always the speaker in a narrative, the speaker is probably not narrating (i.e., telling what happened) in most other writing types. To be clear, the narrator and the speaker do the same job. They are speaking.
Don’t Confuse 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Pronouns with 1st or 3rd Person Narrator or Speaker
Point of view has a specific meaning. It means “how a person sees and interprets things.” As an example, a first-person narrator is telling the story from his or her perspective. A third-person narrator is telling the story from his, her, or its perspective.
To be clear, pronouns and the narrator/speaker point of view are two different concepts. Although they are connected and related, they are not the same thing. As you can see in these two examples, a first-person speaker can use all three types of pronouns. Additionally, there is no second-person narrator/speaker, and I will explain that later.
1. First Person Narrator or Speaker: We (1st) think that you (2nd) should give your (2nd) money to them (3rd).
2. First Person Narrator or Speaker: They (3rd) say that I (1st) should give my (1st) money to you (2nd).
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We Have Two Types of Narrators or Speakers:
1. First Person
2. Third Person
What’s the difference between first-person narrator/speaker and third-person narrator/speaker? In its simplest form, it comes down to pronouns.
» A first-person narrator uses at least one of the following pronouns.
» A third-person narrator speaker doesn’t use any of these pronouns.
1st Person Singular Pronouns: I, me, my, mine, myself
1st Person Plural Pronouns: we, us, our, ours, ourselves
2nd Person Pronouns: you, your, yours, yourself, yourselves
Please Note: Pronouns inside of quotation marks (e.g., quotes, dialogue) don’t affect first person vs. third person. In short, pronouns inside of quotation marks don’t count.
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Second Person Pronouns = First Person Speaker or Narrator
Using second-person pronouns means that there is a first-person speaker or narrator. There is no “you” without an “I.” However, the “I” may be implied. Let’s take a look!
| Second-Person Pronouns Means that there is a First-Person Narrator/ Speaker | True Third-Person Speaker/ Narrator |
| 1. You should eat your spinach. = I say that you should eat your spinach.
2. The research says that you should exercise regularly. = I say that the research says that you should exercise regularly. |
1. People should eat their spinach.
2. Jim should eat his spinach. That’s true third-person narrator/ speaker! It does not contain the words “you” or “I.” |
Advertisements and Second-Person Pronouns
Many advertisements use second-person pronouns. Take a look!
1. After you wash your clothes with CLEAN-STUFF, you will feel like royalty.
This example uses second-person pronouns. So, is that your point of view? No!
Textbooks and Second-Person Pronouns
Take a quick look at a few of your textbooks. Most textbooks use lots of second-person pronouns. Additionally, most textbooks occasionally use first-person plural pronouns (e.g., we). Technically, most of our textbooks are written in first-person point of view. However, they don’t sound like first person. In short, there is an art to matching pronoun usage with genre, audience, message, and formality. Many teachers have strict rules about which pronouns they allow, but those rules are just rules for a specific genre or writing style.
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Is There Such a Thing as A Second-Person Narrator in Stories?
Point of view means “how a person sees and interprets things.” A first-person narrator is telling the story from his or her perspective. A third-person narrator is telling the story from his, her, or its eye-in-the-sky perspective.
For so many reasons, there is no such thing as a second-person point of view. In short, I can’t tell you what you think and make it your point of view. Read this:
» You think that soap tastes great!
Is that your point of view? Is that how you see things? No. In reality, your point of view is what you think as you read that, not what I say you think. What I say you think is always my point of view. And when you say something, you say it in your own first-person point of view.
To be fair, there are a few experimental novels written in what could be called second-person point of view. However, it’s only a second-person point of view if you accept that you (the reader) are the book’s character, and that is what you are thinking. Of course, the reader is free to say, “No. That’s not what I am thinking. That’s what YOU (the real first-person narrator) are saying that I am thinking.” In reality, novels written in second-person point of view are first-person narrators thinking or talking to themselves. Take a look.
One of the more famous second-person point-of-view novels is Bright Lights, Big City (1984) by Jay McInerney. Here is how the novel begins: “You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say that the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy. You are at a nightclub talking to a girl with a shaved head.”
Admittedly, it’s an interesting writing style!
The Term “Second-Person Point of View” is Fine
Please note that I am not against the term “second-person point of view.” After all, that is what most people call it. I’m just saying that it’s not the same as “first-person point of view” or “third-person point of view,” because in reality, “second-person point of view” is “first-person point of view.”
