"Y'all" redux

[Beverly Flanigan]

Yes, zero possessive marking would make sense in Black English.  The
earlier example may or may not have been BE (I should have asked the writer).

At 09:25 PM 2/21/2005, you wrote:
>"Y'all house," with "y'all" interpreted as possessive would be standard
>in Black English, if there was a standard version of that dialect.
>
>-Wilson
>
>On Feb 21, 2005, at 12:22 PM, Beverly Flanigan wrote:
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIOU.EDU>
>>Subject:      Re: "Y'all" redux
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>"y'all house" as possessive?  I've heard both "y'all's" and "y'allses"
>>as
>>possessive, but not "y'all."  Do you have "y'allses"?
>>
>>At 07:10 PM 2/19/2005, you wrote:
>>>As a white  South Louisianian, I have never heard "Y'all" as a
>>>singular
>>>pronoun, but the use of "y'all's" and "y'all" as a possessive pronoun
>>>is
>>>used.(I passed by y'all's/ y'all house yesterday, but y'all weren't
>>>home.)
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "Wilson Gray" <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
>>>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 2:45 PM
>>>Subject: "Y'all" redux
>>>
>>>
>>>>---------------------- Information from the mail
>>>header -----------------------
>>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>Poster:       Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
>>>>Subject:      "Y'all" redux
>>>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>-----
>>>-----
>>>>
>>>>In an earlier discussion as to whether Southern-English speakers
>>>>could,
>>>>would, or did use "y'all" as a singular, a white Mississippian, who
>>>>posted directly to me instead of to the list, and I, a black East
>>>>Texan, maintained that "y'all" is always plural. Many others didn't
>>>>agree and suggested that I might want to read what David Crystal, in
>>>>his "The Stories of English," has to say about his experience of the
>>>>use of "y'all" in Fort Worth, Texas, that experience being that
>>>>"y'all"
>>>>*is* used as a singular.
>>>>
>>>>In Texas, we say that the West begins at Fort Worth. So, I suggested
>>>>that perhaps there's or some kind of dialect split between East Texas
>>>>and Fort Worth.
>>>>
>>>>I have now read what Prof. Crystal has to say. Since I've never been
>>>>farther west in Texas than Longview, I accept Prof. Crystal's
>>>>description of the use of "y'all" in a representative metropolitan
>>>>area
>>>>in West Texas.. However, He also provides a dialect map that shows
>>>>that
>>>>East Texas, like Mississippi, falls into the region of Southern
>>>>English, whereas Fort Worth is located in the region of Western
>>>>English.
>>>>
>>>>So, concerning the "y'all" question, the answer appears to be that it
>>>>depends on where you are and/or whether your informant is back or
>>>>white.
>>>>
>>>>-Wilson Gray