How do y'all use y'all

In My Humble Opinion
61

Or, “Dammit, y’all drank all my beer!”

62

Quote:
Originally Posted by tremorviolet
I’m from Gainesville, FL which is in North Florida and Southern as opposed to South Florida which is Northern.

If I may chime in on tremorviolet’s behalf:

South Florida has been taken over by carpetbaggers and other nefarious types, while North Florida is still inhabited by gen-u-wine Southernors. :wink:

Oh, and to answer the question:

  1. Y’all is a wonderful word, I use it frequently, and it is always plural
  2. Alabama
63

  1. Y’all is plural. Using “y’all” to refer to a single person is Just. Wrong. and will peg you as a yankee quicker than anything :smiley:

  2. Yep, life-long Texan here.

I have to admit I sometimes use “all o’ y’all” if I’m talking to family or friends and I don’t care how red-neck I sound. I NEVER use y’all when giving presentations or speaking with students/parents or any other situation in which I need to be perceived as professional. It’s funny how I have my “natural” accent, then a “work” accent, which sounds disturbingly like the neutral Midwestern thing you hear on national news broadcasts.

64

Y’all is 2d person plural. I use it regularly. I’m a Yankee, but I lived for a few years in Memphis and realized how useful a word it is. (I also occasionally say “might could.”)

“All y’all” can be used for emphasis or completeness. It also can refer to the audience’s kin. For instance, if I tell Bob and Jim “All y’all need to go to that show,” it means not only Bob and Jim, but also that their people need to go.

–Cliffy