The Wonder That is Y'all
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
Anyone who’s spent anytime on my site knows I’m a proud Southerner, ready to share the richness of our heritage. Something I’ve been meaning to write on is the amazing word “Y’all.”
My daughter is watching an episode of Scooby-Doo that has a ghost of a confederate soldier in it right now. The ghost used the word “y’all.” He used it incorrectly. Now that just grates under my skin. It made me think some instruction on the word’s proper usage might be in order.
“Y’all” is a contraction of the words “you” and “all.” This has many implications that follow. First, the word can NEVER be directed toward one individual. You cannot, for instance, say to your Aunt Sarah Faye, “When y’all gonna have that pecan pie ready?” if she’s the only one cooking. If she and Aunt Lucy Nell are baking the pie, then it is appropriate.
Second, the word is often misspelled. Because it is a conjunction of “you” and “all,” the apostrophe is obviously placed where the letters are taken out of the words. Never can it be spelled “Ya’ll” no matter how symmetrically attractive this is.
Third, the word is gender neutral. I think this is why I prefer the word to the Northern phrase “you guys.” Certainly, I’m not a feminist grammarian who insists all references to an anonymous individual be gender neutral or offer both male and female forms; I am completely fine with saying “Man” for all of humanity and the like. However, when I’m talking to some friends or any group personally, the gender neutral phrase “y’all” is certainly more accurate because of the personal nature of address.
As an English major, I think something rather striking about the word’s usage is its peculiar nature. It can handle more than one apostrophe. In print, admittedly, this looks ridiculous. However, in speech, it is quite common in the South and indeed, very useful. For example, we might ask, “Is y’all’s pie ready?” Yes, the word “your” may become plural and eradicate the need for both apostrophes altogether, but when speaking Southern dialect, the former is simply more natural. An instance where the double apostrophe works with a helping verb: “Don’t forget, y’all’ve got to bake two more, later.” You’ve got the pattern down by now, I’m sure.
Another peculiarity about “y’all” is that it is used in the South, but also in mainstream black culture. Most hip hop videos and cd’s prefer the word. I’m not sure how the word spread in the manner, but I’d be interested in theories.
I hope you will give the word a spontaneous spin this week. If you write the word, be sure you spell it correctly. Enjoy the word and let me know about any reactions you have when using it. Also, let me know if there is some sort of Yankee Code of Ethics barring its usage among yanks. When much younger, I dated a northerner who simply refused to use the word though he’d lived in Texas for years. A student I taught from Michigan utterly despised the word. How do Yankees feel about the word and why?
My daughter is watching an episode of Scooby-Doo that has a ghost of a confederate soldier in it right now. The ghost used the word “y’all.” He used it incorrectly. Now that just grates under my skin. It made me think some instruction on the word’s proper usage might be in order.
“Y’all” is a contraction of the words “you” and “all.” This has many implications that follow. First, the word can NEVER be directed toward one individual. You cannot, for instance, say to your Aunt Sarah Faye, “When y’all gonna have that pecan pie ready?” if she’s the only one cooking. If she and Aunt Lucy Nell are baking the pie, then it is appropriate.
Second, the word is often misspelled. Because it is a conjunction of “you” and “all,” the apostrophe is obviously placed where the letters are taken out of the words. Never can it be spelled “Ya’ll” no matter how symmetrically attractive this is.
Third, the word is gender neutral. I think this is why I prefer the word to the Northern phrase “you guys.” Certainly, I’m not a feminist grammarian who insists all references to an anonymous individual be gender neutral or offer both male and female forms; I am completely fine with saying “Man” for all of humanity and the like. However, when I’m talking to some friends or any group personally, the gender neutral phrase “y’all” is certainly more accurate because of the personal nature of address.
As an English major, I think something rather striking about the word’s usage is its peculiar nature. It can handle more than one apostrophe. In print, admittedly, this looks ridiculous. However, in speech, it is quite common in the South and indeed, very useful. For example, we might ask, “Is y’all’s pie ready?” Yes, the word “your” may become plural and eradicate the need for both apostrophes altogether, but when speaking Southern dialect, the former is simply more natural. An instance where the double apostrophe works with a helping verb: “Don’t forget, y’all’ve got to bake two more, later.” You’ve got the pattern down by now, I’m sure.
Another peculiarity about “y’all” is that it is used in the South, but also in mainstream black culture. Most hip hop videos and cd’s prefer the word. I’m not sure how the word spread in the manner, but I’d be interested in theories.
I hope you will give the word a spontaneous spin this week. If you write the word, be sure you spell it correctly. Enjoy the word and let me know about any reactions you have when using it. Also, let me know if there is some sort of Yankee Code of Ethics barring its usage among yanks. When much younger, I dated a northerner who simply refused to use the word though he’d lived in Texas for years. A student I taught from Michigan utterly despised the word. How do Yankees feel about the word and why?
