General Discussion

Stinky The Clown

(68,951 posts)

25. I use y'all on occasion. Not a lot, but I do use it.

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Sat Feb 4, 2012, 11:24 AM

Feb 2012

I am from New England. I am most often mistaken for a New Yorker (NYC or nearby) or North Jersey. I am from close in Connecticut.

I've lived in Florida, both Carolinas, Tennessee, at both ends, and now Maryland. Central Maryland has more in common with other northeastern areas than with anything in the South

But y'all is there.

Y'all is a missing word in the English language, I always thought. I grew up with its Northern equivalent, "youze," as in "youze guys". It sounds dumb. Y'all doesn't sound dumb. It sounds soft and Southern.

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This message was self-deleted by its author [View all] Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 OP

I don't see what is so bad about "y'all" Syrinx Feb 2012 #1

I love the word y'all. Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #4

We southerners look down on HillWilliam Feb 2012 #14

i have actually heard rural east texans use y'all in the singular arely staircase Feb 2012 #52

Oh, don't get me wrong HillWilliam Feb 2012 #77

that was all very interesting - i'm a language nerd (im only fluent in two) arely staircase Feb 2012 #79

LOL, oh yeah, I'm always fixinta HillWilliam Feb 2012 #82

Um, y'all is singular hootinholler Feb 2012 #23

:snort: Stinky The Clown Feb 2012 #26

Y'all is exclusive 2nd Person Plural, All Y'all is inclusive. Odin2005 Feb 2012 #38

Y'all may be a subset of y'all, but all y'all is clearly everyone within earshot. Capitalocracy Feb 2012 #44

No truer words have ever been spoken :) KatyMan Feb 2012 #40

lol! BlueToTheBone Feb 2012 #45

Plural: Awl uh y'awl. trof Feb 2012 #51

... tosh Feb 2012 #56

not usually, not in the mississippi delta/gulf coast southern subdialect spoken in east texas arely staircase Feb 2012 #53

And for large groups it's, all y'all y'all yoodle a e hoooooooooooooooooo !!! . Monk06 Feb 2012 #90

Go away! Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #91

Ack !!!!!!!! Monk06 Feb 2012 #92

Glad you have chosen a spokescat who is Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #93

Ya know a sense of humor is a horrible thing to lose Monk06 Feb 2012 #94

Indeed! Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #96

We do lack a second-person plural pronoun in our language. Capitalocracy Feb 2012 #2

Thanks! Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #5

Yes, and if we ask a New Yorker EFerrari Feb 2012 #10

I would say Brooklyn. surrealAmerican Feb 2012 #57

I couldn't find brooklyn on a map. EFerrari Feb 2012 #60

Beat me to it! obamanut2012 Feb 2012 #16

I concur. sofa king Feb 2012 #20

Yup. Language changes, the grammar Nazi's are fighting a losing battle. Odin2005 Feb 2012 #39

I've only heard that HillWilliam Feb 2012 #78

We make do by other means izquierdista Feb 2012 #21

Yeah, I never use usted Capitalocracy Feb 2012 #22

I do for elders and for people I need to insult a little. lol EFerrari Feb 2012 #59

There are shades of distinction at least in my region HillWilliam Feb 2012 #80

We don't actually KatyMan Feb 2012 #41

that exists in the northeast tabbycat31 Feb 2012 #68

along the same lines, grits versus polenta Syrinx Feb 2012 #3

Interesting... I call it polenta, but I started eating it here in Argentina Capitalocracy Feb 2012 #6

I don't know about polenta with tomato sauce, but I guess that could be good Syrinx Feb 2012 #7

Just make it the same way you would spaghetti or whatever other pasta Capitalocracy Feb 2012 #8

sounds good Syrinx Feb 2012 #9

Both polenta and grits sound better than mush. n/t woodsprite Feb 2012 #12

Not quite. trof Feb 2012 #54

thank you! Kali Feb 2012 #65

I'll admit to using polenta HillWilliam Feb 2012 #81

Yummmmmmm! Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #87

thanks trof. Serves me right for believing the libertarian Alton Brown Syrinx Feb 2012 #89

True story. As a young bride, I lived in Texas for a time because my husband, Arkansas Granny Feb 2012 #11

Heh, I'm keepin' that! n/t HillWilliam Feb 2012 #15

I agree with most of yall's responses to the OP regarding the usage of "yall." nt raccoon Feb 2012 #13

I don't know about y'all, but I agree with the OP. mmonk Feb 2012 #17

It's a natural contraction that fills a void in English. Hosnon Feb 2012 #18

Thanks for posting this, this is an interesting discussion! LiberalLoner Feb 2012 #19

Just occurred to me, there is another common form of second-person plural other than you Capitalocracy Feb 2012 #24

I use y'all on occasion. Not a lot, but I do use it. Stinky The Clown Feb 2012 #25

And yet I'm a life-long Southerner with a noticeable accent ... tledford Feb 2012 #27

I use "y'all," but not in every sentence, like Paula Deen. Fawke Em Feb 2012 #28

She either has Southern Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #30

I grew up in Michigan etherealtruth Feb 2012 #29

I use the term "y'all" often... ljm2002 Feb 2012 #31

The true test: Tsiyu Feb 2012 #32

Ha! Mamanem! Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #33

I am a Pennsylvania native, MadrasT Feb 2012 #47

"My mother and her peer group." Iggo Feb 2012 #66

What is this "fixin to?" Ron Green Feb 2012 #34

True. Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #35

HAH! I almost forgot about HillWilliam Feb 2012 #83

I'm originally from Missouri and we fix the hell out of things justiceischeap Feb 2012 #98

I have a crick at the bottom of my property HillWilliam Feb 2012 #99

I'm Texan and I use ya'll all the time. ananda Feb 2012 #36

But if you use "y'guys" you are definitely from the Midwest. Odin2005 Feb 2012 #37

If you're really from the south HillWilliam Feb 2012 #84

southern accents are the best thing about the south. Please keep them. nt limpyhobbler Feb 2012 #42

Gawd yes! Iggo Feb 2012 #64

I grew up in Massachusett and use y'all often, hughee99 Feb 2012 #43

I was born in the north, and my parents moved me to Miami RebelOne Feb 2012 #46

Not proof in all cases. I say that and have never been further south than Nebraska. jwirr Feb 2012 #48

I have relatives (Ohio) who say "youse." Arugula Latte Feb 2012 #49

it is actually an improvement on the "you" for the second person plural because arely staircase Feb 2012 #50

Maybe "you guys" is or was the West Coast "youse". EFerrari Feb 2012 #61

and applies to both genders, no? arely staircase Feb 2012 #67

All genders. EFerrari Feb 2012 #75

Driving cross-country from California to Florida, I first heard "y'all" in use in Arizona ..... kwassa Feb 2012 #55

The Northern clue pinboy3niner Feb 2012 #58

In the area of Virginia ohheckyeah Feb 2012 #62

It's the American English word for "ustedes". Iggo Feb 2012 #63

yep, as i said upthread it is probably more vosotros - informal arely staircase Feb 2012 #69

You can test your accent here RainDog Feb 2012 #70

The closer Eric Cantor gets to Richmond the more he has a southern accent underpants Feb 2012 #71

"Ya'll" is beautiful to this southern gal. However ...... Tennessee Gal Feb 2012 #72

I always associated that word with Pennsylvania RainDog Feb 2012 #73

It is used in some areas of Tennesse, but Tennessee Gal Feb 2012 #76

i moved from CA to NC barbtries Feb 2012 #74

"Your people" meaning "your immediate family" HillWilliam Feb 2012 #85

I grew up in Oakland XemaSab Feb 2012 #86

'Bald Peanuts' Are_grits_groceries Feb 2012 #88

I use peanut awl HillWilliam Feb 2012 #100

hmmm interesting, however The Pittsburgh area and most of Western Pa us a term that is Justice wanted Feb 2012 #95

This is a very interesting thread. Tracer Feb 2012 #97

Kicking again HillWilliam Feb 2012 #101