# One Year living in Memphis, TN. (an apology\* for "y'all") **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 19, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984 "2014-09-19T23:33:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/21 "2014-09-20T16:52:49Z")
My native Pittsburgh has “youse,” but I really prefer “y’all.” ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/22 "2014-09-20T21:28:44Z")
In Michigan, even “youse” wasn’t even a real option. “Everyone/everybody” or “All of you guys” would be as close as you got. Other that fluidity or brevity’s sake, I’m not sure why I feel compelled we’re in need of a one-syllable, one word solution to this oversight in American English. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/23 "2014-09-20T21:31:07Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I’m guilty of the y’alls. I don’t even think about it. It’s the plural of you and it sounds friendlier than you all or the one people really hate, “You people!” > > I am born and raised Memphis and I love it, but you know where I love even more? Bartlett. It’s like Memphis, only cleaner. I’m picking on you to ask where or how often any Dopefests in the area have been. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/24 "2014-09-20T21:51:39Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > we’re in need of a one-syllable, one word solution to this oversight in American English. We’re _not_. We already have a one word solution: You. There’s nothing confusing about “You” as a plural …unless you were raised with “Y’all”. Context easily indicates whether “You” is singular or plural. “You” general: that’s where it sometimes gets confusing. It’s when I’m using “You” general that I always feel like I have to explicitly state what sense of the word I’m using. It sounds accusatory if it’s misunderstood. “You should always brush your teeth,” in the way that other languages would go with “One should always brush one’s teeth.” I feel compelled to explain that when I’m saying “You should always brush your teeth” it is not that I’m saying “You, **cmyk** , should always brush your teeth” as if I don’t already assume that you do brush your teeth. And “Y’all” doesn’t help here. If I say “Y’all should always brush y’all’s teeth” then it _definitely_ sounds like I 'm telling a specific group of people to brush their teeth. Maybe we should start using “Y’everybody”. “Y’everybody should always brush y’everybody’s teeth.” ---
**Author:** ![Faelyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@Faelyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faelyn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/25 "2014-09-20T21:51:49Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I’m guilty of the y’alls. I don’t even think about it. It’s the plural of you and it sounds friendlier than you all or the one people really hate, “You people!” > > I am born and raised Memphis and I love it, but you know where I love even more? Bartlett. It’s like Memphis, only cleaner. Bartlett’s nice, though I think I prefer Cordova, or even Germantown more. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/26 "2014-09-20T22:43:38Z")
> [@Faelyn](#): > > Bartlett’s nice, though I think I prefer Cordova, or even Germantown more. I’m in Cordova, right off of I-64, not far east of I-40. Germantown is the town I’m most familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/27 "2014-09-20T22:49:54Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > We’re _not_. We already have a one word solution: You. > There’s nothing confusing about “You” as a plural …unless you were raised with “Y’all”. Context easily indicates whether “You” is singular or plural. > > “You” general: that’s where it sometimes gets confusing. It’s when I’m using “You” general that I always feel like I have to explicitly state what sense of the word I’m using. It sounds accusatory if it’s misunderstood. “You should always brush your teeth,” in the way that other languages would go with “One should always brush one’s teeth.” I feel compelled to explain that when I’m saying “You should always brush your teeth” it is not that I’m saying “You, **cmyk** , should always brush your teeth” as if I don’t already assume that you do brush your teeth. > > And “Y’all” doesn’t help here. If I say “Y’all should always brush y’all’s teeth” then it _definitely_ sounds like I 'm telling a specific group of people to brush their teeth. Maybe we should start using “Y’everybody”. > “Y’everybody should always brush y’everybody’s teeth.” Believe you me, I’ve always been a proponent of the nicely encompassing plural pronoun “you”. However, there seems to be a need in the flow of casual conversation that “you” just falls short in. It’s in these cases I feel compelled to invoke the explicit “royal we” or “royal you”. Now, I haven’t _quite_ taken to “y’all” in that I still feel like an impostor when I try and use it in conversation. However, I’ve conceded that’s it’s a useful contraction, no matter the distaste it might invoke otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/28 "2014-09-20T23:48:28Z")
**cmyk** , I came to Nashville from your neck of the woods a couple of decades ago. I will agree with you about"y’all". It’s a downright handy contraction. As far as dopefests go, we tend to have one in Nashville every couple of years if you don’t mind a trip up I-40. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/29 "2014-09-21T00:40:47Z")
Nice. Don’t mind at all. In fact, I have a bit of family around those parts, so it’d all work out. ---
**Author:** ![Weftover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Weftover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weftover)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/30 "2014-09-21T00:50:24Z")
I was raised in the north (southern shore of Lake Erie) and live in Kentucky now; I adopted y’all quite a while ago; it fills a clear need, and I don’t feel awkward at all saying it. As to Bourbon, however; I believe that belongs to Kentucky alone. What y’all drink in Tennessee is very good whiskey, but it’s Tennessee whiskey, and not Bourbon. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/31 "2014-09-21T01:11:34Z")
> [@Weftover](#): > > I was raised in the north (southern shore of Lake Erie) and live in Kentucky now; I adopted y’all quite a while ago; it fills a clear need, and I don’t feel awkward at all saying it. > > As to Bourbon, however; I believe that belongs to Kentucky alone. What y’all drink in Tennessee is very good whiskey, but it’s Tennessee whiskey, and not Bourbon. I wouldhave to agree with you about the whiskey. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/32 "2014-09-21T03:00:02Z")
**cmyk** , “you all” is acceptable as you make the transition to “y’all.” In fact, it’s admired as an admission that “you’re not quite there yet.” But be aware that it’s also used in strict formal warnings, so don’t be surprised if, when using it, somebody looks at you like a dog waiting to get kicked off the porch. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/33 "2014-09-21T03:58:26Z")
I say y’all, even after six years living near Boston. It is a handy little word. I even got an Indian coworker saying it, after pointing out that it’s a useful way to differentiate between singular and plural “you”. Said Indian coworker also says “bless your heart” now. 😃 And I miss good BBQ (and fried chicken) and love Bourbon. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/34 "2014-09-21T13:28:35Z")
**missred** - It’s seems like we should be about up for another Dopefest. This time one where everyone is clear about the destination (Old Fort Park, I’m looking at you). StG ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/35 "2014-09-21T13:37:54Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Remember: one person is “you.” > Two or more is “y’all.” > A whole bunch is “all y’all.” A county deputy in West Texas stops a car full of college students. He looks at the driver. “Y’all been drinkin’” He looks at the other guys. “All y’all been drinkin’” ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/36 "2014-09-21T13:53:44Z")
I have lots of family in Memphis. I haven’t been there for a few years, but the next time I come I will look you up. I am perfectly fine with y’all as a plural pronoun. The redundancy seems to creep in when it expands to using what is apparently a single word to convey “all of you.” It comes out as : “Allaya’ll.” ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/37 "2014-09-21T13:54:48Z")
^^^ Cross posted with my friend carniverousplant ^^^^^ ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/38 "2014-09-21T14:28:04Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > **missred** - It’s seems like we should be about up for another Dopefest. This time one where everyone is clear about the destination (Old Fort Park, I’m looking at you). > > StG I nominate you as the planner. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/39 "2014-09-22T13:22:51Z")
> [@Faelyn](#): > > Bartlett’s nice, though I think I prefer Cordova, or even Germantown more. Cordova is awful. My daughter lived there briefly but the crime was bad and the people are obnoxious. Germantown is okay. It’s very manicured. But I like the hometown feel of Bartlett more. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984/40 "2014-09-22T13:24:06Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I’m in Cordova, right off of I-64, not far east of I-40. Germantown is the town I’m most familiar with. What? Y’all ain’t in Memphis then! 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-year-living-in-memphis-tn-an-apology-for-yall/698984.md?page=3)