you-all's

[Beverly Flanigan]

On a new topic:  I'm aware that "you-all's" is a Southern possessive (and
Appalachian too, at least in some areas), but I'm wondering about other
variants of it.  Just as "you-all" and "all you-all" (or their contracted
forms) have distinct meanings, would you use "you-all's" and "all
you-all's" distinctively as well?  A third form offered by a student of
mine is "you allses'," a possessive referring to a non-homogeneous group
(according to her), as in "Write down you allses' phone numbers" (I'm
supplying an apostrophe out of writing convention only, of
course).  Incidentally, she says she would say "your all's" and "your
allses'," but this seems to strangely mix standard and regional, doesn't
it?  She admits that since she lived in the South (TN and MS) only until
age six, she may not have correct intuitions about these anymore; and
neither of her parents is from the South, though they picked up the basic
forms while living there.

Another distinction she makes is that she uses "you all" when "everyone I
see is present and I can see them"; vs. "all you all" when "everyone is
present but not in view" (not the same as including a large group whose
members may NOT all be present, presumably).  She also uses "you all" if
addressing one person but implying group address (as we've noted on this
list before).  Again, she's been out of the South for 15 years, but
southern Ohio uses some of these forms, so she's been able to keep them
alive.  However, I've never heard the finer distinctions she makes and
wonder if others can confirm or disconfirm them--Natalie? Bethany? Michael?
dInIs?