The form y’all is heard primarily in the Southern United States, and nationwide in AAVE. Recently, the form has begun to be used by other American English speakers as well, though still less commonly than you guys. For other second-personal plural pronouns, see you.
Is Y all an American term?
Y’all is the main second-person plural pronoun in Southern American English, with which it is most frequently associated, though it also appears in some other English varieties, including African-American English and South African Indian English.
Why do Americans say yall?
It simply means “ you all “ or “ all of you “! It comes from the strange fact that the singular informal second-person pronoun “thou” dropped out of English a couple of centuries ago, and “you” now has to do double duty as the singular and plural, as well as the informal and formal modes of address.
Where does Y all originate from?
The general scholarly consensus is that y’all’s origin is actually Scottish. While some disagreements exist as to the first recorded use of y’all—with scholars dating the term’s first use to either 1909, 1886, or 1851—the widely accepted history of the term dates to 18th-century New York.
Is Y all considered proper English?
Y’all, which originates in the U.S. and is common in many regions of the country, is a contraction of you and all. Although the word is generally considered out of place in formal writing, writers from regions that use the contraction sometimes use it in writing to affect a folksy or very informal tone.
Do Texas people say y all?
I also quickly learned that Texans are not ashamed of greeting anyone with a hearty ‘Hey Y’all’! Y’all is an American slang word, an abbreviation of the term “You all,” and is mainly used in the southern parts of the U.S.
Is yall a Southern thing?
But the best-known word in the Southern vernacular is probably our most-loved pronoun: y’all. A contraction of “you” and “all” is what forms “y’all” when addressing or referencing two or more people. Here’s everything you need to know about this Southern phrase.
Do Texans say yall?
In most of the places where it is used y’all is the missing second person plural pronoun that standard English does not have. It is mostly used in informal speech in the American states in and bordering the old Confederacy. In parts of Texas, by experience, West Texas, y’all is used as a polite form of singular you.
Which states use Y all?
Who Says “Y’all” And 10 Other Maps Showing Where Americans Say Things Differently
- Basically no one calls it a soft drink.
- Y’all know that Kentucky is the only state where people really say “you all”?
- Philadelphia loves its hoagies, but it’s a sub pretty much everywhere else.
Do Americans say Z?
In America, there’s only one way to pronounce the letter Z: zee, of course. However, head to England, Ireland, or pretty much any other English-speaking country, and you’ll find that most natives refer to the same letter as zed.
Is Y all a California thing?
The form y’all is heard primarily in the Southern United States, and nationwide in AAVE. Recently, the form has begun to be used by other American English speakers as well, though still less commonly than you guys. For other second-personal plural pronouns, see you.
Why do New Yorkers say y all?
Montgomery claims that “y’all” goes back to the Scots-Irish phrase “ye aw,” and he offers as evidence a letter written in 1737 by an Irish immigrant in New York to a friend back home: “Now I beg of ye aw to come over here.” As I understand Montgomery’s hypothesis, “ye aw” was Americanized into “y’all,” which is indeed
Do Northerners say y all?
It is primarily a Southern thing. You hear it other places, of course, as people are mobile, and they tend to bring their dialects with them. But it is definitely more common in the South, not just in rural areas, but in the cities as well.
Is British English proper?
British English is ‘correct’ where it is spoken, and American or Australian English is correct in those areas of the world. While it might not seem clean and neat to have so many ‘correct’ versions of a language, that’s just the way it is. Of course, all of these versions of English are perfectly interchangeable.
Is Y all slang or dialect?
It’s true that “y’all” is “the most identifiable feature of the dialect known as Southern American English.” But where did it come from?
Do Canadians say yall?
Generally you will not hear Canadians using that term.
How do Texans say hello?
howdy
In place of hello, say “howdy.” It’s a greeting as Texan as cowboy boots and the Alamo. It’s friendly and casual, and it works quite well with a “y’all” at the end — howdy, y’all!
What is a Texas accent called?
Texan English is the array of American English dialects spoken in Texas, primarily falling under Southern U.S. English. As one nationwide study states, the typical Texan accent is a “Southern accent with a twist”.
| Texan English | |
|---|---|
| Region | Texas |
| Ethnicity | Texans |
Do they say Y all in Alabama?
28. Alabamians don’t say “you all” or “you guys” … they say “y’all.”
Do they say Y all in New York?
In other regions of the US, ‘y’all’ has historically been far less common. Yet, in the past couple years, ‘y’all’ seems to have exploded in use, including and especially among people who live far outside the South, in places north of the Mason-Dixon Line in the US, like New York City, and even overseas.
How do Southerners say you all?
But the best-known word in the Southern vernacular is probably our most-loved pronoun: y’all. A contraction of “you” and “all,” as defined by our Mason Dixonary, “y’all” is used when addressing or referencing two or more people.