08-21-2003, 02:36 PM | #1 (permalink) |
pow!
Location: NorCal
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y'all
“Y’all” is such a great word. It may be the South’s single greatest contribution to our society.
We don’t have a “you plural” in English. We’ve got no “ustedes” “You guys” is too informal for all occasions, and it excludes the women in the crowd. But “y’all” just rolls off the tongue, easy and friendly. “Y’all” doesn’t discriminate. It addresses one and all: family, friends, pets, lovers, and adversaries. My hat’s off to all y’all Southerners for bringing us such a great word.
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08-21-2003, 03:53 PM | #3 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: Somewhere... Across the sea...
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Don't forget the plural of y'all- all y'all. "Y'all are invited to my BarBQ, and all y'all better show up with beer!"
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08-21-2003, 04:16 PM | #5 (permalink) |
comfortably numb...
Super Moderator
Location: upstate
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all y'all enjoy...
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08-21-2003, 04:19 PM | #6 (permalink) |
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Location: Tokyo
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i too love this term.
its been creeping into my vocab, and i love it. in return, i´d like to offer all of your wonderful people down in the south (well, its northeast from here), a favourite ocker term of mine... ´I´m as dry as a dead dingos donger.´ (which means i´m thirsty).
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08-21-2003, 04:33 PM | #7 (permalink) |
Tilted
Location: Australia
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Stone the Crows Bundy!!!
It's almost Friday arvo and that means Beer O'clock. Here's hoping ya'll are going to the local watering hole to sink some piss and have a good perv Cheerio, it's time for me to Choof off
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08-21-2003, 05:19 PM | #11 (permalink) |
Turn off your TV.
Location: ... .- -. ..-. .-. .- -. -.-. .. ... -.-. --- --..-- -.-. .-
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I like to use "y'all" because it makes it clear that it's a collective term, and leaves little room for confusion. In the English language, "you" is used to refer to both the singular and plural, and often times people take the form "you" personally, even if you mean to say "you" collectively.
For example: Singular: You should pay more attention to details. Plural: You (all) should pay more attention to details. (As in, everyone should do this, not just you alone, so it's less personal and more general.) Besides, it's fun to say, and it just rolls off the tongue. Yaaaaaaaaall.
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08-21-2003, 05:59 PM | #15 (permalink) |
Sir, I have a plan...
Location: 38S NC20943324
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Interesting note:
Southern Appalachian dialects are the closest to middle English (the language Chaucer wrote in) of any surviving languages. Those hillbillies would be able to communicate quite fluently with a 16th century Englishman, though I can't understand a word of it...
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08-21-2003, 07:45 PM | #18 (permalink) |
2+2=5? Not again!
Location: Dallas, Texas
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Y'all is a neat word. I believe here in Texas it's considered awkward to say y'all when refering to one person. Y'all's is acceptable as a plural possessive, though I hear your much more often.
I recently had the pleasure of coming across "you'ns", which is apparently common in the Carolinas. |
08-21-2003, 07:55 PM | #19 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Chicago
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As I'm reading this post, I'm asking myself, am I the only one who truly does not like that term?
No offense to anyone who uses it or enjoys hearing it, but it just grates my ears like the sound of a metal fork on a ceramic plate.
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08-21-2003, 09:17 PM | #20 (permalink) | |
Flavour of the Weak
Location: Canada
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08-21-2003, 09:29 PM | #21 (permalink) | |
Psycho
Location: lost
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Quote:
Another variant of "y'all" is "y'alls", which can either mean the same thing as "y'all", or, if spelled "y'all's" can be the possesive form of "y'all". It also has 2 apostrophes, which makes it that much more fun .
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08-22-2003, 04:36 AM | #24 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: Chicago
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my mom has lived in chapel hill,nc for over 10 years, but still cannot overcome her yankee pronunciation. every time i hear her say to a southerner, "oh, .you all should come over to the house," or something, i wince.
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08-22-2003, 05:32 AM | #26 (permalink) |
Overreactor
Location: South Ca'lina
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My wife's from a small town in TN near KY, and they all say "you'ns", pronouned YUNZ. But I prefer "y'all".
I love it when Jackie Chan tries to say it in "Rush Hour".
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08-22-2003, 12:09 PM | #27 (permalink) | |
will always be an Alyson Hanniganite
Location: In the dust of the archives
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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony "Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt. |
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08-22-2003, 12:46 PM | #28 (permalink) |
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Location: this ain't kansas, toto
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i grew up in the midwest where we said "you guys" which i thought was kinda weird when talking to a group of women.
my friend from georgia got me using y'all. but the funny thing is i never speak it, only write y'all. when i speak "you guys" still rolls off my tongue.
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08-22-2003, 12:55 PM | #29 (permalink) | |
Idolator
Location: Vol Country
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I mean we say y'all too, but a whole lot of people in my town say Yu'uns(thats just how I spell it, there of course is no true way) Out of curiosity, what town is your wife from johnny? If you don't mind, cause my tiny TN town is directly on the KY border.
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08-22-2003, 01:32 PM | #30 (permalink) |
Adrift
Location: Wandering in the Desert of Life
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My mother was from South Carolina, and even though she spent 40+ years in Arizona she never lost the accent. I grew up in a household where we said y'all and I still use it occationally. I used to get a lot of grief about it when I was younger, so it sort of faded from my vocabulary, but every now and again it slips out and I always seem to get a reaction.
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08-22-2003, 05:50 PM | #31 (permalink) | |
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Location: Just SW of Nowhere!!! In the good old US of A
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08-22-2003, 05:58 PM | #32 (permalink) |
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Location: Tokyo
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another american regular term that i like is ¨GUY¨
we use the term ´mate´, so it just sounds strange when you´re talking to an American and they say ´see you later, guy´...or ´hi guy!´ mikey, ´yous´ is a term some people use down here... mainly people from western sydney. for instance, Jeff Fenech (great aussie boxer) is famously said, ¨i love yous all¨... sadly, the terms, ´guy´ and ´yous´, will not work their way into my vocab.
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08-24-2003, 05:34 AM | #34 (permalink) |
Delicious
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In Kentucky it's Ya'll, but my family is from Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio, so some of my Family says 'You Guys,' some say 'Ya'll' and I rarely hear 'You'uns.' Its mostly used when an elderly person is addressing kids..
I use Ya'll instead of Y'all because I think that 'you' is first shortened to 'ya.' For Example, You say, "How Ya doin?" singular, and "How Ya'll doin?" for plural. I'm just trying to prove the dictionary wrong... Y'all's or Ya'll's is just wrong(to me)... It's either pluralized twice(or 3 times if you consider 'you' to be plural) or it's using "is" instead or "are" (ie: "You all is stupid", vs, "You all are stupid.") However the english language is always evolving so who's to say what's right and what's wrong.
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08-24-2003, 10:02 AM | #35 (permalink) |
Über-Rookie
Location: No longer, D.C
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I actually had an English teacher who used it while in college. She said it was ok to use in papers since it is so widely used in speech, however, she did make a big deal about spelling it correctly. "Y'all" is a contraction of you and all so the contraction would be y'all that is basically all she told us.
Personally I don't like to use the word and have to seriously think hard to even say it. I prefer saying something with "guys" attatched, since in my thoughts and speech guys is very unisexual and doesn't necessarily mean girl or guy, but rather either all male, or a mix of the two (have to say ladies if it is all girls though, otherwise the chances of getting lynched in the area I live in are high!)
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08-24-2003, 10:25 AM | #36 (permalink) |
Junkie
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I spent many years living in the deep south,
Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Y'll is very natural, There. "Y'll pick me up a RC and a bag'a peanuts." For example. But it dosn't fit everywhere. It is regional dialect. Ain't, is another regional dialect word, not heard everywhere but used extensively in some part of the country. I live in California now and Y'll and Ain't are ony heard from persons coming from other regions of our country. |
08-24-2003, 12:06 PM | #37 (permalink) | |
pow!
Location: NorCal
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Quote:
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08-25-2003, 11:33 AM | #38 (permalink) | |
I aim to misbehave!
Location: SW Oklahoma
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