Y'ALL

'Y'all', sometimes misspelled as "'Ya'll'", "'Yawl'", or "'Yaw'", and archaically spelled "'You-all'", is a fused grammaticalization of the phrase "you all". It is used primarily as a plural second-person pronoun, and less commonly as a singular second-person pronoun. Commonly believed to have originated in the Southern United States, it is primarily associated with Southern American English, African American Vernacular English, and some dialects of the Western United States.^[1]

Contents

Usage

Origin

Controversy

References

See also

Usage

There are currently six recognized properties that ''y'all'' follows^[2]:
# a replacement for plural you
#
★ Example: "Y'all can use the internet at the same time"
# an associative plural, including individuals associated but not present with the singular addressee
#
★ Example: "We're free after 10," John says. "Y'all can come over at around 10:30," Chris replies.
#
★
★ Chris explains to John that he and John's friends, who are not present at the time, can come over at around 10:30. Chris is speaking to John, but treats John as a representative for others (i.e. his friends).
# an institutional plural addressed to one person representing a group
#
★ Example: "Y'all sell the best candies in the south, Mrs. Jo Jelly."
#
★
★ Y'all is received by Mrs. Johnson who is the representative of a small candy business
# an unknown potential referent
#
★ Example: At the sky, Alex yells "Y'all can't beat me!"
#
★
★ Alex is yelling at an unknown party
# a form used in direct address in certain contexts (e.g., partings, greetings, invitations, and vocatives)
#
★ Example: "Howdy, Y'all"
#
★
★ A greeting that addresses a multitude of people without referencing a singular identity comprising that multitude
# a stylistic choice distinct in tone (e.g., in intimacy, familiarity, and informality)
#
★ Example: "You all look tough, but y'all aren't!"
#
★
★ ''Y'all'' enables a quick four syllable clause that is easier to say than "but you all aren't."
''Y'all'' is also used in the phrase "all y'all", which is a more inclusive form comparable to "all of you". Note that ''we'' can be used as the first-person analog of ''y'all'' for the first three properties listed above.

Origin

It is a common belief that ''y'all'' was invented by people in the Southern United States as a replacement for "you all" due to its convenience. Rather than say ''you all'', ''you-uns'', ''you lot'', or ''you guys'', ''y'all'' may be construed as a single element requiring only one morpheme.

Controversy

The stress pattern of ''y'all'' does not favor the contraction you+all because it would likely derive ''you'll'' instead of ''y'all''. While the archaic spelling ''you-all'' would seem to indicate that the convenience of pronunciation superseded this stress pattern, some have suggested other origins. Some put the apostrophe after the 'a' (e.g. ''ya'll''), suggesting that y'all is a contraction for ''ya all''. This is illustrated in the Texas phrase "Ya'll come back now, ya hear!" and a recent Best Western advertisement. ^[3] However, some suggest the possibility that ''y'all'' derives from the Scots-Irish ''ye aw''.^[4] The invention of ''y'all'' in this form could be traced to the influence of African slaves.^[5] There appears to be an increasing tendency, especially on the Internet, to spell it without the apostrophe, ''yall'', which if it becomes common usage would make it a standard pronoun, rather like Dutch ''jullie''. [2]
There is also a long disagreement about whether ''y'all'' can have primarily singular reference. While ''y'all'' is generally used in the Southern United States as the plural form of "you" a scant but vocal minority (for example, Eric Hyman^[6]) argue that the term can be used in the singular. Adding confusion to this issue is that observers attempting to judge usage may witness a single person addressed as ''y'all'' if the speaker implies in the reference other persons not present: "Did ''y'all'' [you and others] have dinner yet?" (to which the answer would be, "Yes, ''we'' have", even though a single person has answered.)
It has been argued by one linguist that the singular ''y'all'' is in reality a polite form of address, corresponding to 'vous' in French, 'usted' in Spanish, and 'Sie' in German. ^[7]
And a few have noted what this linguist states in the following quote: That ''y'all'' or ''you-all'' cannot have primarily singular reference ...

References

1. Bernstein, Cynthia: "Grammatical Features of Southern speech: Yall, Might could, and fixin to". English in the Southern United States, 2003, pp. 106 Cambridge University Press
2. Ching, Marvin K. L.: "Plural You/Y'all Variation by a Court Judge: Situational Use". American Speech - Volume 76, Number 2, Summer 2001, pp. 115-127 Duke University Press
3. [1]
4. Bernstein, Cynthia: "Grammatical Features of Southern Speech: Yall, Might could, and fixin to". English in the Southern United States, 2003, pp. 108-109 Cambridge University Press
5. Lipski, John. 1993. "Y'all in American English," ''English World-Wide'' 14:23-56.
6. [3] Hyman, Eric: "The ''All'' of ''You-all''", ''American Speech'' 81:3(2006)
7. Estelle Rees Morrison: "You-all and we-all", ''American Speech'' 2:133, 1926

See also

★ Yinz, Yunz, or Youns

★ You, You guys

★ Yous(e)

★ We

★ Southern American English

★ Florence Y'all Water Tower

★ English personal pronouns