"Y'all" redux

[Wilson Gray]

On the contrary, it marks those who use "y'all" as a singular as not
really being Southern-speakers. I'd really love to hear "y'all" used as
a singular somewhere other than in books and movies or on TV or radio.
The closest that I've come to that is hearing people, including your
humble correspondent, use both "y'all/you-all" and "you" as plurals in
unmonitored speech.

-Wilson Gray


On Feb 20, 2005, at 3:55 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "Y'all" redux
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> Sally, your very admission as a Southerner that you have heard other
> Southerners use "y'all" in the singular will mark you in certain
> quarters as "not really a Southerner" .
>
> JL
>
> "Sally O. Donlon" <sod at LOUISIANA.EDU> wrote:
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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: "Sally O. Donlon"
> Subject: Re: "Y'all" redux
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> --------
>
> I'm from south Louisiana and I never (AFAIK) use "y'all" in the
> singular. Although I very occasionally hear others use it that way, my
> immediate and automatic impression is that they must be "from away," as
> we say down here, and are trying on the vernacular. Either that, or
> they think that I'm "from away," and are consciously trying to act as
> they believe visitors must perceive as being Southern for my benefit.
> (I'm often asked where I'm from because I don't always have much of the
> local accent. When that happens, I usually say that I'm "from away.")
>
> sally donlon
>
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