The fact is that “y’all” is pretty useful, as formal English doesn’t have a distinctly plural version of “you.” There is no “yous” (except in places like New York city and New Jersey, sometimes in the form of “youse guys”). This suggests that the referent is usually clear enough in context. But the existence of “y’all,” the related “you-all” and “all-y’all,” and other workarounds like “you guys” and “you lot” show that there is, in fact, room in the market for new second-person plural pronouns. Visitors to Texas typically realize the value of “y’all” within 48 hours.

The Economist (via jelizabethl)

As a Texan, I have to agree.

(via lovelikeasinnerloselikeawinner)

Source: jelizabethl

655 Notes/ Hide

  1. be5tneverre5t reblogged this from barbryallen
  2. anothergleefan reblogged this from fuckyeahtx
  3. sleeplessinsomniac reblogged this from pankeik
  4. pankeik reblogged this from oheyjules
  5. armedvegan reblogged this from roadtoadulthood
  6. roadtoadulthood reblogged this from sailorssouthernbelle
  7. jerriann reblogged this from warrennotg
  8. heartsarahjane reblogged this from sailorssouthernbelle
  9. herpdirk reblogged this from exiledintejas
  10. bakingandtie-dye reblogged this from allisonrae
  11. wonderandspontaneousdelight reblogged this from seouladrift
  12. laughing-all-the-way reblogged this from timetravelingtomboy and added:
    And as a short-term resident of Texas in my childhood, I can’t get it OUT of my vocabulary…
  13. hyper426 reblogged this from timetravelingtomboy
  14. timetravelingtomboy reblogged this from lovelikeasinnerloselikeawinner and added:
    As a Texan, I have to agree.
  15. sailorssouthernbelle reblogged this from lovelikeasinnerloselikeawinner
  16. lovelikeasinnerloselikeawinner reblogged this from fuckyeahtx
  17. jonahlewis reblogged this from sadgirl69
  18. sadgirl69 reblogged this from peanut-sauce
  19. peanut-sauce reblogged this from rachelmorgan69
  20. allisonrae reblogged this from heyyyyjk and added:
    so useful. visit anywhere in the South, not just Texas, and it will become part of your regular vocabulary.
  21. tlc reblogged this from waitwhat
  22. roger-dc reblogged this from abcdefghiloveyou
  23. besideslain reblogged this from my-own-melt and added:
    then there’s pittsburgh, in which case it’s never y’all and always yinz. Proud to be a motherfucking yinzer.
  24. watchingithappen reblogged this from my-own-melt and added:
    YES! Also this goes for “eh?” in Canada. Immediately you can turn a statement into a question without all the words....

Recent comments

Blog comments powered by Disqus