Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Y'all's sprawl. Linguists study the spread of a Southern term
Houston Chronicle/Columbia News Service ^ | Feb. 19, 2005 | MOISES VELASQUEZ-MANOFF

Posted on 02/20/2005 7:45:38 PM PST by bayourod

In a June appearance on NBC's Today Show, singer Marc Anthony made an unusual but, according to some linguists, not-so-surprising word choice.

When co-host Matt Lauer asked Anthony how he'd spend the upcoming weekend, Anthony said, "Y'all know I don't talk about my personal life."

A New York native of Puerto Rican descent using "y'all," a distinctly Southern term?

Linguists Guy Bailey and Jan Tillery would say Anthony is exhibit A in a national trend that is spreading the uses of "y'all" beyond the South. The two, who teach at the University of Texas at San Antonio, wrote an article in 2000 called The Nationalization of a Southernism, in the Journal of English Linguistics.

After conducting a national poll by telephone, the team concluded that the spread was dramatic and recent, most likely in the past 50 years as younger non-Southerners were significantly more likely to use "y'all" than older non-Southerners. Those regions bordering the South and Texas, like Kansas and New Mexico, were most likely to adopt it, as well as the Rocky Mountain region, which, they argued, had cultural similarities with the South.

As for why non-Southerners might use a markedly Southern term, the authors cite geographic mobility — Northerners moving to the South adopting it and Southerners moving to the North retaining it. But ultimately, the authors argue, it's a matter of addressing a "hole" in the English language.

Ever since English lost the second person singular "thou," it has relied on the pronoun "you" to act as both singular and plural. English speakers have improvised ways to avoid ambiguity in the plural: in the Northeast, "youse" or "youse guys"; around Pittsburgh "yunz" or "yinz," a contraction of "you-ones"; in the South, "y'all," a contraction — or "fusion" as Bailey and Tillery say — of "you-all"; and finally "you guys."

But "you guys" feels awkward to certain segments of the population, says Joan Houston Hall, chief editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English. A term that gained popularity in the 1960s, it still sounds inappropriately familiar to some elderly ears, she says, and some women are uncomfortable with the masculine gender implied by "guys." "Y'all" elegantly resolves all these concerns.

Others argue that "y'all" is spreading for a much simpler reason: Both culturally and numerically, the South is on the rise. But more important, "y'all" is standard in what linguists call African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), the lingua franca of rap and hip-hop.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: dialects; language; linguistics; south; yall
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 161-180181-200201-220 ... 241-243 next last
To: cyborg
Yeah! Conniption... that's what I was trying to remember hehehe.

Well, I will be glad to tell you the difference. If you are around a southern woman having a hissy fit...back off a few paces.

If she is having a conniption fit...run for your life out of the house.

181 posted on 02/20/2005 10:27:01 PM PST by Conservababe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 179 | View Replies]

To: TheMole
What about "the sweet tea line"? This is the line south and east of which the restaurants always serve sweet tea (tea that has had the sugar dissolved in it while still hot) without you asking. In the border areas you have a choice and are asked. Far north and west of it you are only served regular tea and if you want it sweet you have to add your own sugar or Sweet 'n' Low.

The line seems to run through North Carolina, dips southward in Tennessee runs pretty much down the Mississippi. No proper sweet tea in Texas.

182 posted on 02/20/2005 10:27:45 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 114 | View Replies]

To: FreedomCalls

If your waitress (scuse me, server) does not say "what y'all want?", then you are not going to get any sweet iced tea. LOL


183 posted on 02/20/2005 10:33:11 PM PST by Conservababe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 182 | View Replies]

To: annyokie
Don't forget Mountain Dew! Before it was co-opted by the geeks it was a purely southern drink. If you remember the old hillbilly logo -- well, shoot, you're kinda old. But it did show it's origins as a drippy sweet southern drink.


184 posted on 02/20/2005 10:33:17 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 156 | View Replies]

To: TheBrotherhood

Whatever. Not everybody in New York speaks the same and I'm no English professor either.


185 posted on 02/20/2005 10:42:36 PM PST by angelr1076
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: annyokie
My husband, a (I won't say damned) Yankee says "I'm fixing to do X" I have taught him well...

Oh my. When I was first stationed at Fort Ord, CA with the Army, my Texas roots would rarely show, since I've never really had a strong dialect in my speech. But one of the last leftover expressions I retained for a few years was "fixin' to".

"I'm fixin' to go to the store."
"I'm fixin' to eat now."

Well, I've been in California for almost 15 years (stayed here when I got out of the Army), and I've long since lost the "fixin' to". I do still have the "y'all" sometimes.

But I've picked up some things here which are even worse. I catch myself constantly saying "like" and "dude", in totally bizarre and gratuitous parts of a sentence:

"I was like 'Dude, no way', and he was like 'Yes way'..."
"I was wondering like when you were going to be finished with that..."
"Dude, that's like so cool."

Or even just "Dude!" as a standalone expression.

God, I'm so embarrassed to admit this. But acknowledging that I have a problem is the first step to beating it...

186 posted on 02/20/2005 11:20:29 PM PST by Ryan Spock
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 143 | View Replies]

To: bayourod
, Anthony said, "Y'all know I don't talk about my personal life."

Whenever someone addresses one person as "y'all" it's a sure giveaway that the speaker is faking it and isn't a true southerner. We never say "y'all" unless we're talking to two or more people.

187 posted on 02/20/2005 11:27:59 PM PST by epow (Why? Cause I said so, thass why)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bayourod

"Ya'll" sounds cowboy. "You guys" sounds gay.


188 posted on 02/20/2005 11:29:27 PM PST by streetpreacher (There will be no Trolls in heaven.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: FreedomCalls
What about "the sweet tea line"? This is the line south and east of which the restaurants always serve sweet tea (tea that has had the sugar dissolved in it while still hot) without you asking. In the border areas you have a choice and are asked. Far north and west of it you are only served regular tea and if you want it sweet you have to add your own sugar or Sweet 'n' Low.

As to the first point: Why would you ask? It would be as pointless as asking if you'd like butter and salt in your grits. Duh, of COURSE I would!

In the South, tea is made in its drinkable form. Just sweet enough to no longer be bitter. It should never be saturated with sugar (but, sadly, it is sometimes done). Coincidently anywhere there is good Barbecue, there is also good sweet tea.

As to BBQ: I have always noticed that the pig on the sign(there is nearly ALWAYS a pig on the sign) is an indicator as to how fancy the BBQ joint is. If the pig is wearing overalls and a straw hat, the food will be good and the atmosphere will be "rustic." If the pig is wearing a tuxedo and tophat, the atmosphere will look nicer than the food will taste.

189 posted on 02/20/2005 11:49:18 PM PST by Triggerhippie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 182 | View Replies]

To: Triggerhippie
Coincidently anywhere there is good Barbecue, there is also good sweet tea.

And often the desert menu consists of just two items: your choice of homemade banana pudding or peach cobbler.

190 posted on 02/20/2005 11:58:02 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 189 | View Replies]

To: FreedomCalls
And often the desert menu consists of just two items: your choice of homemade banana pudding or peach cobbler.

Anything more would be too fancy. Anything less wouldn't be neighborly.

191 posted on 02/21/2005 12:47:48 AM PST by Triggerhippie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 190 | View Replies]

To: smonk

That would explain the duct-tape-and-hefty-bag windows on the first Borg cube.


192 posted on 02/21/2005 12:56:25 AM PST by Redcloak (More cleverly arranged 1's and 0's)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Capriole
Too many Yankees trying to act Southern or put on a phony Southern accent think that y'all = you, singular, in Southern-speak. That's just stupid.

Nah...that's from someone who is TRULY Southern--someone who realizes the South isn't monolithic. In some parts, Y'all is singular, and the plural is All Y'all.

193 posted on 02/21/2005 4:40:07 AM PST by Gondring (They can have my Bill of Rights when they pry it from my cold, dead hands!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: bayourod

"you guys"


194 posted on 02/21/2005 4:41:17 AM PST by freedumb2003 (If you oppose jihad, you are not a Muslim. If you support jihad, you are my enemy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: smonk
you will be assimilated.

Isn't it "Y'all will be assimilated"?

195 posted on 02/21/2005 4:42:29 AM PST by freedumb2003 (If you oppose jihad, you are not a Muslim. If you support jihad, you are my enemy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: bayourod
If you don't say "y'all", what do you say?

All y'all. LOL!

196 posted on 02/21/2005 5:00:30 AM PST by Carolinamom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bayourod

I guess I'm going to have to conform and start typing it as y'all instead of ya'll (ya all...do ya all want to go?).


197 posted on 02/21/2005 5:00:43 AM PST by philman_36
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 4ConservativeJustices

LOL! that's a classic, 4CJ.


198 posted on 02/21/2005 5:47:07 AM PST by stainlessbanner (Gather round y'all)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 122 | View Replies]

To: bayourod
If you don't say "Y'all" what do you say?

As a Southerner moved North (a very long time ago), "You all." (pn "yewal.")

Interestingly, though, I've come across this lack of distinction between the 2nd person singular and plural in several languages, not just (modern) English.

199 posted on 02/21/2005 6:47:30 AM PST by sionnsar († trad-anglican.faithweb.com † || Iran Azadi || This part of this tagline is deliberately not blank.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: freedumb2003
---you will be assimilated.---

---Isn't it "Y'all will be assimilated"?---

if I had been thinking. actually, I thought "all Y'all's base are belong to us" was the prize winner.

200 posted on 02/21/2005 6:52:50 AM PST by smonk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 195 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 161-180181-200201-220 ... 241-243 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson