I just got back from a trip to the "South" (think Georgia and surrounding states) and I have some questions

Question

Wow! Very different! Actually I have a lot of questions, but I'll just ask a few. Is it possible that people say "Y'all" even when they are talking to one person? (I kept looking around for others but there was only me) Please forgive my ignorance on this one, but is the confederate flag basically racist?--I just noticed that a lot of folks who had them seemed to be ah, "narrow minded" about the color of people's skin. What does it mean when something goes "cattywampus"?

Answer 1

All very important questions...

1. Ya'll is an improved version of the confusing second person plural english pronoun 'you' ... It can be used in the singular as well but then it is as confusing as the inferior english version.

2. The Confederate flag is simply the flag of a nation that was wiped out in the war of northern agression. It can be used by racists to promote divisiveness and that is regretable. The flag should rest in peace with the soldiers who died in a lost cause.

3. When something goes 'cattywampus' it is out of kilter... not in proper alignment... etc...

Hope these answers help. The South is a difficult place for outsiders sometimes, but mostly it is a friendly place that runs at a slower, more relaxed pace that is probably a better lifestyle than the rest of the country... Except the food is so unhealthy that no one lives long enough to appreciate it!

Answer 2

1. Y'all is used for a group or just one person... just is, doesn't make sense
2. The Confederate flag is NOT racist, tends to be perceived that way because that was a big part of the war..... Confederacy stood for more than slavery
3. Alot of people are narrow minded, but you are gonna get that anywhere in the country, tends to be worse in rural areas
4. Cattywampus is kinda like crazy... as in "There was a riot and everything went cattywampus"

Answer 3

Your not entirely wrong about the confederate flag. A lot of the "redneck" types down here proudly sport that flag on their pickups and front porches. Sad but true. There are a few though who are not racist or rednecked and fly the flag just as a Southern Pride thing, or for the history of it. I actually know a few black people that fly the confederate flag. (I live in small town Texas)
And yes, y'all can be used when talking to one person. I have a bad habit of that myself.
And cattywampus just means that something has gone astray. That things are not quite working correctly.

Feel free to email me if you have any more questions.

Answer 4

lol. I say ya'll sometimes when i am just talking to one person. I was setting out under the shade tree with my neighbor a few minutes ago and when i left i told here "see ya'll later". I am from the bootheel of Missouri -the only people here that wear or have the confederate flag hanging around are racist. I don't know what cattywampus is though. Maybe i am not far enough south for that-lol.

Answer 5

Having grown up in the South, I can say that I appreciate the South, the good and the not so good. Many Southerners will claim that the Confederate flag is just and expression of "heritage." My reply is yes, a racist heritage built on slavery. Racism isn't an issue exclusive to the South, it does tend to be more blatant.
I love words like "cattywampus," (messed up), "fixin" "a fur piece" and "all ya'll" is my favorite!
Some of our nation's greatest writers have come from the South, and it does have a lot of charm, like any of the regions in the U.S there are great things and not so great...

Answer 6

Yes, they do say y'all even if you are the only one they are talking to.

The confederate flag is also known as the Rebel Flag.

As for the "narrow minded" folks, you must remember you are in the South and they had slaves hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately, those predjudices are still passed down from generation to generation.

Cattywampus - a dialect term heard throughout the South, from the Carolinas to Texas. It simply means askew.

In other sections of the South (antebellum) it meant Goblin, sprite or sometimes fearsome beast. Slave owners warned their slaves not to run away as the cattywampus was awaiting them if they did.

Answer 7

I lived in southeastern Alabama for a year or two and it is very different. The Confederate Flag is absolutely not racist. I never heard of cattywampus. I loved it when someone said they would carry me somewhere instead of giving me a ride and then boys might tote your books rather than carry them.

Answer 8

they say that with only one person there. the flag is a piece of cloth just like all the rest. its really unfortunate that people put such value in a symbol. yeah, theres a lot of prejudice there, and cattywampus basically means screwed up. i used to live in georgia, beautiful state. assholes have no perimeters, they are in every state.

Answer 9

im from mississippi and i was born and raised in the boondocks ;) ya'll is usually referring to 2 or more people, the conferderate flag represents our heritage (most people our proud of where they come from) half of the time it has nothing to do with racism but a lot of people are racist and its not just in the south... cattywampus means it messed/screwed up

Answer 10

lol, I live down south and I guess we do use "ya'll" alot, even if we are just talking to one person. About the confederate flag, it can be a symbol of racism (and it use to be of course), but now adays its pretty much just telling people you are redneck. When I think of a confederate flag being flown I think of a bunch of men w/o shirts at a pond fishin', drinking beer, listening to the Allman Brothers with a blow up doll tied to the tree.......