I just wondered, when I am in the southern USA, I often hear the expression y'all (meaning "you all" for the incurable yankees) but I never see it written. Come to think of it, same goes for "yonder." I'm sure a lot of the good folks who post here must be from the south and probably use those words in everyday speech, so how come no one uses them online?
Anyone here from the South?
Jan 2, 2003, 6:28 PM ET25 posts by 14 posters
25 posts
"That Guy" wrote in message news:lW3R9.244$[email]...
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You'll eventually see it somewhere. Hang out in the regional newsgroups---georgia.general, texas.general, arkansas.general, etc. You might also try something like alt.nascar, alt.skoal, or alt.married.cousins.
For the record, "y'all" is both singular and plural. If used in the plural to denote a group of more than four or five, the correct term is "all y'all."
Compare the poetic style of the following two samples:
"Fuck each and every one of you"
"Fuck all y'all!"
The poetry of southern colloqualisms ought to be clear now.
In alt.tv.simpsons, on the "Re: Anyone here from the South?" thread, Mercutio Jones wrote:
Actually, I like the first one better. It's more emphatic sounding.
On Tue, 07 Jan 2003 05:15:41 GMT, [email] (Benjamin Robinson) wrote:
LMAO, in an evil type of way.
I like DMXs': Fuck y'all, all y'all
"BigBlue" wrote in message news:[email]...
Mercutio
Actually, where I come from, this might be heard from somebody in a real lather:
"Fuck ALL y'all mutha-fuckers!"
Heh-heh. I remember reading something about soldiers in WWII who found themselves integrated from all sorts of places in the states. I'm sure the southerners were impressed by northerners' impressive swearing, as the northerners were amused by a southerners colorful expressions:
"I feel like I've been shot at and missed and shit at and hit!"
R. Flowers wrote in message news:AAOS9.22466$[email]...
Stop! Please, stop before you kill me!
- Linguo
On Thu, 2 Jan 2003 18:24:49 -0600, "Mercutio Jones"
Actually, it's not - it is distinctly plural, "You all". All clarifies that it is a plural usage of "you", not a singular usage.
Wrong again.
Fuck you. See, I'm only saying it to you - If I said fuck y'all, I'd mean more than just you.
Not exactly.
But feel free to expound on other regional colloquialisms, such as "youse", or "yinz", which I can't even begin to explain.
Or how about using the term "want" for weather forecasting - as in, "they want it to rain tomorrow" - what the fuck is up with that?
BTW, all 3 examples are AFAIK, distinctly northern terms.
On Mon, 13 Jan 2003 07:06:48 GMT, "[email]" wrote:
"Perhaps, but let's not get bogged down in semantics. I think what Katijaikat meant to say is..."
On Mon, 13 Jan 2003 10:02:16 GMT, BigBlue
Well, it could have happened, but he called me a Yankee - them's fightin' words in these here parts.
He's not from the real South anyway - that much is clear.
And so the spirit of the season failed to penetrate my heart and it never will until I find out what the carpetbagger, Mercutio, tells me what "y'all" is a contraction for - or if it's even a contraction for anything.
wrote in message news:[email]...
Easy mistake. You type like a Yankee
You're right. Oklahoma is not part of the real South, as much as it wants to be. It lacks in Southern charms and manners, but makes up for it in biscuits and gravy.
Carpetbagger? I'll have you know that I've never been north of the Mason-Dixon line. Scalawag is more like it.
On Mon, 13 Jan 2003 21:20:25 -0600, "Mercutio Jones"
How is that?
Oh, oh, oh! - You're a fucking Okie? You fucking redneck stupid asshole sunnuvabitch!
I was born and grew up South of I-10 (the Deep South) - being from OK, you have no business even speaking about the South - you dumb fucking ignorant inbred sooner!
You live north of I-10 - Hell, you live north of I-30 for that matter - you're a fucking Oklahomo, and you'll never be anything more than that.
piss off and die you redneck dumbass piece of shit.
wrote in message news:[email]...
So much for the myth of Southern hospitality.
On Wed, 15 Jan 2003 17:48:55 -0600, "Mercutio Jones"
hope no one took that personally........if there's one thing that can kill Southern hospitality, it's a good dose of Southern Comfort.
I was drunk - oh well.
I'd still be curious what you think "y'all" is a contraction for if not "you all"
wrote in message news:[email]...
Well, you started taking a little good natured kidding back and forth a *leeeettle* bit too seriously there. I was about to suggest a therapist or that you get a dog from the animal shelter to kick around and get that aggression out.
"[email]" wrote in news:[email]:
I stumbled across this thread, so if anyone still cares, I'll give you my opinion. I'm from South Carolina, which is the only southern state that also has the word "south" in it, so I am imminently qualified.
"Y'all" is a contraction of "you" and "all". It's always plural. We say "you" when we mean singular. Only Northerners trying to sound like Southerners use y'all as singular. Northerners sometimes hear us use "y'all" while apparently talking to a single person, which is where the confusion comes from. We're not. When we use "y'all" speaking to a single person we are including the group that the person belongs to. For instance, if I tell you "Y'all come and see us again", I'm actually saying "You and your family come see us again". If I tell you "Y'all a bunch of losers" I mean "You and your team are a bunch of losers".
Glad to be of service.
"George Jetson" wrote in message
Next you'll be claiming that you're also a Colonel.
"Mercutio Jones" wrote in news:3e274abc_4 @corp.newsgroups.com:
No, but I ate some of his chicken. Does that count?
wrote in message news:[email]...
You actually think that "y'all" is a contraction for "you all?" Pfft.
Yankee.
"They" would be the lesser minions of the Rain Demon.
Knew you were a Yankee from the way you type with an accent.
On Mon, 13 Jan 2003 16:25:24 -0600, "Mercutio Jones"
Okay - what is it then?
Maybe I was just born in the educated part of the South.
Maybe it means something else in Jacksonville.
heheh - I don't have an accent - everyone else does.
It's "y'all", short for "you all". Actually, it's not even a real word. By the way, I'm from Springfield... Georgia, that is. It's about 30 miles north of Savannah.
"That Guy" wrote in message news:lW3R9.244$[email]...
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You are assuming that the ability to speak includes literacy ;)
South Philly.
Ay, yo...
Maybe people from the south don't know how to use computers???
"That Guy" wrote in message news:lW3R9.244$[email]...
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"Joe Devola" wrote in message news:...
as a New Englander living in Atlanta, I'd have to say "Ya'll" and "fixin'" are the most annoying colloquialism. "Ya'll fixin' to go to Waffle House?" Sincerely, Little Girl
Particularly when fixin' is pronounced "fitting."
What all y'all fittin' to do? Shoot, all y'alls whack, yo.