Is Yall Really Only A Southern Word???

Question

Hey, pplz. Ok, this might seem stupid, but I've lived most of my life in Texas and havent gone up North since I was 8. So I have to ask cause I've used the word yall all my life and it comes second nature to me. So for 'you all' (thats just weird for me to say) up North, is 'yall' really a southern word ???

no, you misunderstand me i dont think theres anything wrong with being a texan. im so proud of my southern roots, its just that to me 'yall' is such a common word, it amazes me that it really isnt that common up north. but thanks so much for all of your answers my curiousity is officially sated ;D

Answer 1

The problem in formal Modern English is that there is no way to tell the difference between "you" (one person) and "you" (more than one person). In different parts of the country, different solutions in speech have been developed. In the South, "you all" (becoming common "y'all") is the solution that developed. (You can tell a Yankee faking a Southern accent because he uses "y'all" when talking to just one person.) In Utah, "you guys" is the solution (even when the audience is all female). In the Northeast urban environment, you can hear "youse guys". "Y'all" is probably the most common and is beginning to spread outside the South because it is being carried by Southerners who move to other parts of the country, especially into the West. The Western US dialect has always owed a great deal to the Southern dialect because one of its principal influences was the speech of expatriate Confederates after the Civil War. In 100 years or so, "y'all" will probably be entering formal English as the proper way to mark second person plural.

Answer 2

Y'all is typically associated with the South, but it's not just a Southern word. I've never been to Texas or Tennessee, but I use the word all the time. My friend's church uses it as a non-gender-specific address to a mixed group. It's used in so many ways by such a variety of people. Don't worry about it!

Answer 3

I live in California and I use the word all the time. And whenever I do, people look at me like I am from another planet or somethin! It definitely is not common where I live. I personally think it sounds better than "you guys" and makes more sense than the grammatically correct "you" when addressing multiple people. I also think women sound cute when they say it with their texas accents . :)

Answer 4

I think it is. I've lived in different areas around the country and heard it the most in the southern states. I never picked up the habit of saying it, though.

Answer 5

I've lived in Texas and traveled to Washington State, where people were amazed I say ya'll. And aint is a big word we use here also. But I'm sure more people use aint now than ya'll.

Just show's Texan's are cooler!

Answer 6

Yeah, it originates from the South and mainly used there. I used to live live in Maine and didn't hear it tossed around a lot. I'm in Texas now.

Answer 7

i know many people here in the west that use yall, so it wont sound too weird. people will probably know that ur from the south, but whats wrong with that? and instead of "you all," we usually say "you guys" or "everyone" or "you're" (which is understood as you all).

Answer 8

Not really, I have heard it all my life, I grew up in Illinois, and I live in Missouri now, so yes, us "Yankees" say y'all too, although without an accent to it, lol.

Answer 9

Not a word in Wisconsin, unless we are purposely trying to sound like we are from the south. :)

Answer 10

i thought y'all was Texan, maybe i was wrong...