Singular Y'all Come Back, Hear?

[Dan Goodman]

RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:
> Yes, the formulaic "Y'all Come Back, Hear?" is often reported. As I
> recall, Richardson and others explain this as a kind of (genteel?)
> idiom meaning "Come back and bring your friends and family."
> Alternatively, for many speakers, it could be that singular/plural
> distinction is neutralized, just as explcit gender identification is
> neutralized in such currently popular structures as "Next, the
> researcher will need to take steps to insure that the privacy of her
> human subjects is protected." That is to say, just as this use of
> "her" is not valid evidence for the assertion that "her" now "means"
> either male or female, so to this speciallized use off "y'all" does
> not argue that native speakers generally think of "y'all" as a normal
> singular form, much less regularly use it that way.

Minnesota equivalent:   "We'll see you."

I don't know if it's in all of Minnesota; but I've heard it from people
raised in the Twin Cities, and from people raised elsewhere in Minnesota.

--
Dan Goodman
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Whatever you wish for me, may you have twice as much.