What do y'all think about "ya'll?"

[Harry Mason]

It lowers my opinion of you. Unconsciously. Its unfortunate but true.

How can you tell me about something that is unconscious?

Also, I could raise your opinion of me and lower it with equal ease.
Want to see?

I work multiple jobs while attending college full time to support my mentally challenged younger sister.
*Opinion raised*

I get drunk and hoot and holler at Metal concerts.
*Opinion lowered*

I counsel troubled inner-city teens as volunteer work.
*Opinion raised*

I own a banjo.
*Opinion lowered*

I am a published poet.
*Opinion raised*

I smear purple glitter make up on my eyes and dance to Daft Punk in my underwear.
*Opinion lowered*

I could subject you to this emotional roller-coaster all day...

 

[NeutralDrow]

I find it incredibly useful, and deliberately use it, for basically the reasons you laid out. Even though it's not really part of my southern California accent.

 

[jawakiller]

It lowers my opinion of you. Unconsciously. Its unfortunate but true.

How can you tell me about something that is unconscious?

Also, I could raise your opinion of me and lower it with equal ease.
Want to see?

I work multiple jobs while attending college full time to support my mentally challenged younger sister.
*Opinion raised*

I get drunk and hoot and holler at Metal concerts.
*Opinion lowered*

I counsel troubled inner-city teens as volunteer work.
*Opinion raised*

I own a banjo.
*Opinion lowered*

I am a published poet.
*Opinion raised*

I smear purple glitter make up on my eyes and dance to Daft Punk in my underwear.
*Opinion lowered*

I could subject you to this emotional roller-coaster all day...

Ah, but I don't have to interact with you (other than commenting). If you were someone I knew, it would matter. Its actually sub-consciously, so my fault on the choice of words.

 

[Twilight_guy]

OT: I think English used to have a second person plural int he same way it used to have a formal pronouns, like "thy." They were lost overtime from lack of use with lots of other parts of English as it evolved. If its underused enough to not warrant continued inclusion in the language its probably not something that is a major concern. Still, We could just have the official people in charge of official English create a second person plural pronoun.

English has lost a lot of words due to disuse, but most of them are formal pronouns, like you said. Formal pronouns becoming extinct in English makes sense to me. The importance of status has waned due to civil rights, changes in the economy, etc. What I can't figure out is why something as USEFUL as a gender neutral second person plural pronoun would disappear.

It's interesting to think about.

Actually formal pronouns lost popularity hundreds of years ago. The peasants at the time spoke a more base form of the language that was simpler and easier to use and learn. It eventually overtook the entire system and formed what we knows as modern English as opposed to middle English. That is, unless my knowledge of things is wrong of course I learned most of this in my high school English class and its been a while.

 

[Shuswah_Noir]

It might be a legitimate contraction of 'you all', but I personally think it makes people sound unbelievably stupid, regardless of their accent.

 

[ten.to.ten]

Time for some harsh reality, you cannot say y'all without sounding like a total hick. It makes my spine crawl. Don't quote me and say "I'm not a hick", because you are.

Anyway, since y'all is just short for "you all", couldn't you just say "you all" instead? Better idea, how about "youse"? Sure you'll sound like a northeastern labourer, but I'd take that over y'all any day of the week.

 

[rokkolpo]

I think it sounds horrible.

And I will never say it unless I'm making fun of people already saying it.

 

[tzimize]

I've never had cause to use it... I really don't see the need to differentiate. Context provides all the meaning a person could need, if they pay attention.
Also, those who do use it tend to use it interchangeably with "you". I've often heard a single person addressed as "y'all". Not fond of the term at all.

I'm with this guy. I'm not a native English speaker though...but I still think context is all thats needed.

 

[rokkolpo]

I wasn't born in the South, but my bf apparently gets a kick out of me saying "Y'all" whenever I'm wearing denim short shorts and a plaid button down shirt tied around my midriff.

The strangest part: I don't own denim short shorts or a plaid button down shirt.

He bought them for me. <_<

That's one funny fetish.
Good luck with that.

 

[ZephrC]

I've actually started using y'all myself for pretty much the same reasons you've laid out. Plus I'm originally from eastern Washington, but living in western Washington now, so I enjoy hamming up the hick on occasion. Nobody ever reacts badly around here though, so I guess the hatred of the term must be an east coast thing?

Also, ain't is a perfectly acceptable word to me. It's just a more pronounceable contraction of am not. You can't really say amn't comfortably, can you? Ain't fills that gap nicely.

 

[ten.to.ten]

I've actually started using y'all myself for pretty much the same reasons you've laid out. Plus I'm originally from eastern Washington, but living in western Washington now, so I enjoy hamming up the hick on occasion. Nobody ever reacts badly around here though, so I guess the hatred of the term must be an east coast thing?

Also, ain't is a perfectly acceptable word to me. It's just a more pronounceable contraction of am not. You can't really say amn't comfortably, can you? Ain't fills that gap nicely.

1. It's an everywhere-that-isn't-a-podunk-cultural-junkyard thing.

2. It's "I'm not", not "amn't".

 

[ZephrC]

I've actually started using y'all myself for pretty much the same reasons you've laid out. Plus I'm originally from eastern Washington, but living in western Washington now, so I enjoy hamming up the hick on occasion. Nobody ever reacts badly around here though, so I guess the hatred of the term must be an east coast thing?

Also, ain't is a perfectly acceptable word to me. It's just a more pronounceable contraction of am not. You can't really say amn't comfortably, can you? Ain't fills that gap nicely.

1. It's an everywhere-that-isn't-a-podunk-cultural-junkyard thing.

2. It's "I'm not", not "amn't".

Well yesiree, bob! I'll just go back to fucking sheep and leave y'all edjumacated folk to your fancy grammar and such!

 

[ten.to.ten]

Well yesiree, bob! I'll just go back to fucking sheep and leave y'all edjumacated folk to your fancy grammar and such!

Don't forget to fetch some water from the crick to warsh the winders with while you're out. Thanks buddy.

 

[ZephrC]

Well yesiree, bob! I'll just go back to fucking sheep and leave y'all edjumacated folk to your fancy grammar and such!

Don't forget to fetch some water from the crick to warsh the winders with while you're out. Thanks buddy.

Okay, you got me. I have no idea what winders are.

 

[Lilani]

I use it sometimes. It's no big deal.

 

[ten.to.ten]

Okay, you got me. I have no idea what winders are.

Windows. Sorry, I was only joking really, but last year I spent about three months living with my parents-in-law from rural Ohio and whenever topics like these come up I can hear their horrible voices playing like an orchestra in my brain.

 

[Woodsey]

I find it hard to believe you found it that frustrating, considering there are a million ways around it. I don't see what's wrong with saying "you guys" or "you lot" or "all of you" or "you all" when addressing a group of people.

As for "y'all"? I'd rather not sound like a hillbilly.

 

[ZephrC]

Okay, you got me. I have no idea what winders are.

Windows. Sorry, I was only joking really, but last year I spent about three months living with my parents-in-law from rural Ohio and whenever topics like these come up I can hear their horrible voices playing like an orchestra in my brain.

Ah. Sorry, I just don't think of hick stereotypes as being big on window washing I guess. Maybe britches would have worked better?

I personally have been going out of my way to judge things solely on their own merits and not by what they are associated with lately. It's probably not a good idea to ignore what others think as much as I do, but hey I don't mind looking stupid every once in a while. It leads people to underestimate me.

 

[Roxor]

We could borrow from another language. Hell, English has quite the reputation for borrowing from other languages. Most of our scientific terms have Latin or Greek roots, and a lot of words are borrowings from French (which is related to Latin, anyway).

My German is a bit rusty, so feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong, but maybe we could borrow their pronoun for addressing a group, as in "Seid Ihr verruct?" for "Are you mad?".

A colloquial borrowing from German already in use on the Internet is using "-en" as the plural ending for "box" when referring to computing devices. Chances are most users here have seen other posters use "Xboxen" as the plural of the name of Microsoft's games console.

Grr, whenever someone says "y'all" it makes me want to punch them. I just say "you guys" when addressing a group.

What its a group of girls? What if its a mixed group and you want to address both genders? I would say "you people" is a more neutral alternative except for the negative connotation of that phrase that makes it undesirable too. It's actually quiet confusing.

I use "you lot" for that purpose. I'm not British, I'm Australian, although I have seen a fair bit of British TV. Yes, that did include Doctor Who when I was a kid.

 

[Baneat]

I like it, smoother than "you all" which was clumsy to begin with.