# US Regional Vocabulary Differences

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-regional-vocabulary-differences/480006>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 5, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-regional-vocabulary-differences/480006 "2009-01-05T22:31:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 8

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**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-regional-vocabulary-differences/480006/141 "2009-01-16T18:48:52Z")

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> [@JustAnotherGeek](#):
>
> \<snip\> And let’s not even mention the three styles of clam chowder: Red, White and Clear.)

Nope, there’s only _ONE_ kind of Clam Chowdah, it’s made with milk/cream, and has nothing more than clams, and potatoes in it, celery maybe, but not a lot, not sure what that red soup with clams in it is called, but it certainly _IS NOT_ clam chowdah, that’s for sure…

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**Author:** ![Arglefraster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Arglefraster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arglefraster)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-regional-vocabulary-differences/480006/142 "2009-01-16T19:58:08Z")

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> [@Merkwurdigliebe](#):
>
> The other thing, the usage of “y’all” is _never_ used to refer to the second person, singular. You’ll be looked at like an idiot if you were to do so. You will often have two people talking, and the word “y’all” will get thrown around, but it will always mean the person being spoken to, plus some other absent person(s). “How y’all doin’?” means “How’s your family?” not “How are you?”

YES! It drives me nuts when I hear people using y’all as singular. Usually it’s someone who’s using it to make fun of how southerners talk. It’s a usefull word when you use it properly! Same with “yonder”. It’s not just another word that means “there”, it’s more specific than that, implying that the whatever-it-is is further away than just “there”. For example:

Q: Where is so-and-so’s house?

If we’re already at so-and-so’s house, then:

A: Here

If it’s visible from where we’re standing, then:

A: (while pointing at the house) There

If it’s not visible from where we’re standing, then:  
A: (while pointing in the direction you would go to get to the house) Yonder

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