429:
1261:
959:
986:
873:
1017:
926:
814:
899:
1317:
1222:
452:
and
English professor Jeffrey Reaser wrote, "No word in the American English vocabulary probably carries as much regional capital." People who move to the South from other regions often adopt the usage, even when other regional usages are not adopted. Outside the southern United States,
1341:
461:. African Americans took Southern usages with them during the twentieth-century exodus from the South to cities in the northeastern United States and other places within the nation. In urban African-American communities outside of the South, the usage of
490:) used instead. In the Missouri Ozarks (and adjoining regions of the state), "you-all" is the preferred form, though “all y’all” may be indicated, depending upon context. Other forms have also been used increasingly in the South, including
327:
indicates a plural, implicit if not explicit, and thus means, when addressed to a single person, 'you and your folks' or the like, but the hundredth time it is impossible to discover any such extension of
323:
is a cardinal article of faith in the South. ... Nevertheless, it has been questioned very often, and with a considerable showing of evidence. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, to be sure,
1379:
152:
It is not certain whether its use began specifically with black or white residents of the South, both of whom use the term today; one possibility is that the term was brought by
184:
is likely an original form, deriving from original processes of grammar and morphological change, rather than being directly transferred from any other
English dialects.
1524:
1080:
1372:
1529:
1514:
1365:
791:
1172:
1258:
302:
is only properly used as a plural pronoun, counter evidence suggests usage include singular references, particularly amongst non-Southerners.
1203:
1119:
458:
199:
22:
298:
is primarily or exclusively plural, with debate steming from the late nineteenth century to the present. While some
Southerners hold
1146:
1113:
62:
472:
as the dominant second person-plural pronoun is not necessarily universal in the
Southern United States. In some dialects of the
1534:
1012:
983:
921:
870:
811:
760:
1314:
1285:
1219:
894:
723:
26:
278:
can in some instances serve as a "tone-setting device to express familiarity and solidarity." When used in the singular,
131:
in second-person plural pronoun usage was first recorded in 1824. The earliest two attestations with the actual spelling
1070:
645:
696:
137:
656:
253:
thus fills in the gap created by the absence of a separate second-person plural pronoun in standard modern
English.
1338:
1519:
1490:
1388:
575:
563:
445:
191:
93:, with which it is most frequently associated, though it also appears in some other English varieties, including
90:
177:
94:
1302:
616:
316:, acknowledged occasional observation of the singular reference, writing that the exclusive plural usage of
956:
146:
145:) in 1858. Although it appeared in print sporadically in the second half of the nineteenth century in the
786:
621:
611:
432:
Frequency of "y'all" to address multiple people, according to a 2011 survey of
American dialect variation
520:
477:
157:
68:
710:
Bailey, Guy (1997). "When did southern
American English begin?" Englishes around the world, 1, 255-275.
286:
differs from French, Russian or German, where plural forms can be used for formal singular instances.
1494:
1259:"'Ah'm going for to give youse a story today': remarks on second person plural pronouns in Englishes"
1168:
524:
246:
195:
153:
98:
149:, its usage did not accelerate as a whole Southern regional phenomenon until the twentieth century.
1105:
The
American Language Supplement 2: An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States
335:
The
American Language Supplement 2: An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States
551:
142:
106:
102:
30:
834:
Bernstein, Cynthia: "Grammatical
Features of Southern Speech: Yall, Might could, and fixin to".
676:
Bernstein, Cynthia: "Grammatical Features of Southern speech: Yall, Might could, and fixin to".
282:
can be used to convey a feeling of warmth towards the addressee. In this way, singular usage of
1243:
1199:
1109:
1103:
543:
1051:
559:
45:
1268:, from Taming the Vernacular, Jenny Cheshire and Dieter Stein, Eds. Routledge, 2014. p.177.
404:
are used by some speakers to indicate a larger group than is necessarily implied by simply
1345:
1321:
1289:
1265:
1226:
1021:
990:
963:
930:
903:
877:
818:
795:
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649:
269:
173:
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1486:
499:
A survey conducted in 1996 reported 49% of non-Southerners and 84% of Southerners used
1508:
1427:
1422:
1412:
444:
has been called "perhaps the most distinctive of all grammatical characteristics" of
305:
1468:
1447:
1417:
1407:
1357:
585:
449:
242:
757:
1282:
1402:
720:
547:
198:, suggesting parallel, independent development, while emergence in Southern and
355:
functions as a pronoun as opposed to a phrasal element. The possessive form of
1055:
555:
482:
413:
268:
can satisfy several grammatical functions, including an associative plural, a
112:, but whether it is exclusively plural is a perennial subject of discussion.
642:
507:
in conversation, with a 1994 survey returning a 5% increase by both groups.
691:
21:
653:
1075:
492:
1196:
Talkin' Tar Heel : How Our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina
428:
109:
190:
appeared at different times in various dialects of English, including
473:
169:
412:
can also be used for emphasis; the existence of this etymologically
1198:. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. p. 82.
758:
The Rise Of Y'all And The Quest For A Second-Person Plural Pronoun
359:
has not been standardized; numerous forms can be found, including
20:
1473:
1442:
590:
238:
1361:
1437:
580:
73:
51:
871:"The English dialect heritage of the southern United States"
1432:
1231:
The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, Vol. 5: Language
448:, as well as its most prominent characteristic. Linguist
48:
667:. Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary. 2019.
1280:
Mesthrie, Rajend. "South African Indian English", from
997:. Irma Taavitsainen, Andreas Juncker, eds. 2003. p.352.
272:, an institutional pronoun, and an indefinite pronoun.
257:
is unique in that the stressed form that it contracts (
1350:
The Lesser Known Varieties of English: An Introduction
1326:
The Lesser Known Varieties of English: An Introduction
1328:. Daniel Schreier, et al. eds. 2010. pp.235-237, 254.
823:
The Cambridge History of the English Language, Vol. 6
63:
416:
form is further evidence that speakers now perceive
54:
1456:
1395:
347:The existence of the genitive (or possessive) form
156:immigrants to the South, evolving from the earlier
209:is the most prevalent in print, ten times that of
970:, Stephen J. Nagle, et al. eds. 2003. pp.107-109.
847:Lipski, John. 1993. "Y'all in American English,"
308:, in recognizing the typical plural reference of
1071:"Can Y'all Be Used to Refer to a Single Person?"
542:appears in other dialects of English, including
995:Diachronic Perspectives on Address Term Systems
321:
838:, 2003, pp. 108-109 Cambridge University Press
743:Parker, David B. "Y'All: Two Early Examples."
1373:
806:
804:
213:; much less common spelling variants include
176:and Caribbean creole via earlier dialects of
8:
951:
949:
947:
945:
943:
941:
939:
865:
863:
861:
859:
857:
89:is the main second-person plural pronoun in
1276:
1274:
237:can be traced to the merging of singular ("
1380:
1366:
1358:
1352:. Daniel Schreier, et al. eds. 2010. p.85.
978:
976:
680:, 2003, pp. 106 Cambridge University Press
531:of the United States may be coincidental.
1007:
1005:
1003:
957:"Grammatical features of southern speech"
916:
914:
912:
781:
779:
777:
1525:Second-person plural pronouns in English
427:
1194:Wolfram, Walt; Reaser, Jeffrey (2014).
1122:from the original on September 18, 2020
1083:from the original on September 15, 2014
1014:You Can't Say That! English Usage Today
603:
294:There is historic disagreement whether
1293:. Vivian de Klerk, ed. 1996. pp.88-89.
1233:. Michael Montgomery et al. eds. 2007.
1175:from the original on December 22, 2011
1149:from the original on November 18, 2008
261:) is converted to an unstressed form.
202:closely correlates in time and place.
1069:Okrent, Anrika (September 14, 2014).
968:English in the Southern United States
836:English in the Southern United States
678:English in the Southern United States
420:as a grammatically indivisible unit.
180:. However, most linguists agree that
7:
896:A Dictionary of Varieties of English
480:, for example, it is common to hear
1530:Slang of the Southern United States
1339:"Newfoundland and Labrador English"
624:from the original on April 24, 2022
459:African-American Vernacular English
200:African-American Vernacular English
984:"Rectifying a standard deficiency"
884:, Raymond Hickey, ed. 2005. p.284.
14:
788:The Story of English in 100 Words
105:. It is usually used as a plural
33:; the words were painted in 1974.
1515:Modern English personal pronouns
1389:Modern English personal pronouns
527:. Its lexical similarity to the
457:is most closely associated with
164:. An alternative theory is that
44:
1102:Mencken, H.L. (April 4, 2012).
812:"British and Irish antecedents"
233:Functionally, the emergence of
1143:"How to Use "Y'all" Correctly"
923:Garner's Modern American Usage
825:, John Algeo, ed. 1992. p.149.
756:Devlin, Thomas Moore (2019). "
721:Y’all: It’s Older Than We Knew
1:
245:") second-person pronouns in
882:Legacies of Colonial English
525:South African Indian English
196:South African Indian English
99:South African Indian English
1344:September 26, 2020, at the
1320:September 26, 2020, at the
1225:September 26, 2020, at the
1020:September 19, 2020, at the
989:September 16, 2020, at the
817:September 28, 2020, at the
794:September 28, 2020, at the
726:September 17, 2020, at the
697:Online Etymology Dictionary
138:Southern Literary Messenger
1551:
929:September 3, 2020, at the
876:September 8, 2020, at the
719:Parker, David B. (2015). "
229:Linguistic characteristics
135:are from 1856, and in the
27:Florence Y'all Water Tower
16:Contraction of you and all
1491:English personal pronouns
1482:
1079:. The Week Publications.
1056:10.1215/00031283-2006-022
1034:Hyman, Eric (2006). "The
902:October 13, 2020, at the
612:"Water towers loom large"
576:English personal pronouns
564:Newfoundland and Labrador
446:Southern American English
192:Southern American English
91:Southern American English
1169:"Dialect Survey Results"
178:African-American English
95:African-American English
81:, sometimes combined as
1288:August 4, 2020, at the
1264:April 29, 2016, at the
747:81.1 (2006): 110-112. .
648:March 27, 2019, at the
617:The Cincinnati Enquirer
581:You § Plural forms
1535:African-American slang
962:April 8, 2016, at the
659:July 10, 2019, at the
433:
340:
147:Southern United States
34:
1495:third-person pronouns
1315:"St Helenian English"
1283:Focus on South Africa
1218:Montgomery, Michael.
810:Montgomery, Michael.
763:June 6, 2020, at the
478:Great Smoky Mountains
431:
24:
955:Bernstein, Cynthia.
869:Schneider, Edgar W.
732:History News Network
247:Early Modern English
123:is a contraction of
1141:Simpson, Teresa R.
771:. Lesson Nine GmbH.
519:appears across all
1313:Schreier, Daniel.
1108:. A. Knopf ebook.
1011:Lerner, Laurence.
849:English World-Wide
552:Sri Lankan English
486:(a contraction of
434:
270:collective pronoun
143:Richmond, Virginia
103:Sri Lankan English
35:
31:Florence, Kentucky
1502:
1501:
1205:978-1-4696-1437-3
982:Hickey, Raymond.
893:Hickey, Raymond.
690:Harper, Douglas.
620:. April 7, 2001.
535:Rest of the world
515:In South Africa,
386:
1542:
1520:American English
1382:
1375:
1368:
1359:
1353:
1337:Clarke, Sandra.
1335:
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785:Crystal, David.
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560:Tristan da Cunha
554:and dialects of
343:Possessive forms
338:
241:") and plural ("
61:
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1044:American Speech
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1024:. 2010. p. 218.
1022:Wayback Machine
1010:
1001:
991:Wayback Machine
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974:
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920:Garner, Bryan.
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878:Wayback Machine
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833:
829:
819:Wayback Machine
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798:. 2011. p. 190.
796:Wayback Machine
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745:American Speech
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728:Wayback Machine
718:
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513:
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351:indicates that
345:
339:
333:H. L. Mencken,
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292:
231:
127:. The spelling
118:
47:
43:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1548:
1546:
1538:
1537:
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1522:
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1500:
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1487:Modern English
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1245:Beyond Ebonics
1235:
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1160:
1133:
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1094:
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1050:(3): 325–331.
1026:
999:
972:
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933:. 2009. p.873.
908:
906:. 2013. p.231.
886:
853:
840:
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773:
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682:
669:
665:Dictionary.com
635:
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571:
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536:
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465:is prominent.
438:
435:
425:
424:Regional usage
422:
390:
385:
381:all of y'all's
344:
341:
330:
291:
290:Singular usage
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230:
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141:(published in
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1248:. 2000. p.106
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205:The spelling
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1195:
1189:
1179:February 29,
1177:. Retrieved
1163:
1153:December 16,
1151:. Retrieved
1136:
1124:. Retrieved
1104:
1097:
1085:. Retrieved
1074:
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664:
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626:. Retrieved
615:
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586:Ye (pronoun)
539:
538:
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516:
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511:South Africa
504:
500:
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491:
487:
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450:Walt Wolfram
441:
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398:all of y'all
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548:New Zealand
546:English in
468:The use of
154:Scots-Irish
69:contraction
1509:Categories
1126:October 7,
599:References
556:St. Helena
488:"you ones"
414:pleonastic
402:alls y'all
377:your all's
1485:See also
851:14:23-56.
521:varieties
410:All y'all
394:All y'all
388:All y'all
373:you all's
1396:standard
1342:Archived
1318:Archived
1286:Archived
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1076:The Week
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792:Archived
761:Archived
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657:Archived
646:Archived
622:Archived
570:See also
493:you guys
369:y'alls's
331:—
328:meaning.
1348:, from
1324:, from
1229:, from
1220:"Y'all"
1040:You-All
993:, from
966:, from
880:, from
821:, from
692:"y'all"
643:you-all
628:July 8,
505:you-all
483:you'uns
365:y'all's
349:y'all's
325:you-all
314:you-all
259:you-all
129:you-all
125:you all
116:History
110:pronoun
83:you-all
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1493:, and
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769:Babbel
562:, and
474:Ozarks
400:, and
379:, and
361:y'alls
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174:Gullah
170:calque
1464:y'all
654:y'all
544:Maori
540:Y'all
529:y'all
517:y'all
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182:y'all
168:is a
166:y'all
162:ye aw
160:term
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1474:yinz
1443:they
1200:ISBN
1181:2012
1155:2008
1128:2014
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1089:2014
652:and
630:2010
591:Yinz
476:and
239:thou
219:yawl
215:yall
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1438:you
1428:one
1423:who
1413:she
1052:doi
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1038:of
1036:All
767:".
730:".
523:of
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312:or
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