y'all

[Martinez-Gibson, Elizabeth A.]

Living in Charleston, SC, I have never heard y'all for singular...only plural.
 
Elizabeth A. Martinez-Gibson, Associate Professor
College of Charleston
Dept. of Hispanic Studies
9 Liberty St. JC Long 141
Charleston, SC 29401
 
843-953-8066
martineze at cofc.edu
 

________________________________

From: American Dialect Society on behalf of James Harbeck
Sent: Sat 4/21/2007 4:47 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: y'all



An editorial colleague of mine just mentioned that she's given to
understand that "y'all" is now a standard singular form in Southern
US dialects. I've been under the impression that singular "y'all" is
more the mark of someone who's trying to sound Southern but isn't.
But I really don't have a good detailed edge on Southern dialects; I
learned my use of plural "y'all" in Alberta, where just occasionally
some people use it to make clear that they're using the plural;
nobody would use it in the singular there unless they were doing a
"Southern" impression. And I've never really been in Dixie (I don't
think Orlando really counts any more, if it ever did).

So, y'all -- is singular "y'all" acceptable in Southern US dialects?
Or at least some of them?

Thanks,
James Harbeck.

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