Friday, December 2, 2011

You guys and y'all.

I come from Martin County, FL. 
A slice of small town heaven north of the concrete jungle that is South Florida. 

The county north of us is full of thugs and rednecks. The county south of us is full of Yankees and Really Rich People (which are frequently one in the same). The Atlantic Ocean is to the east and the county to the west is full of cows, citrus, and camouflage. 

So that leaves Martin County with a population of neutral accents. Half say you guys, half say y'all. 25% sound like Southerners, 25% sound like Northerners, and the rest of us sound like American mutts.

So as an amateur (very amateur...) and aspiring linguist, I've spent a lot of time thinking about and observing the differences between the English language's two forms of second person plural. 
You guys and y'all.

Probably not completely accurate, but you get the point.
(Source)

 I mean, some people say you guys, some people say y'all. Some people like Coke, some like Pepsi. To each their own right? Mmmmm, not quite. At least in my opinion.

Besides the fact that y'all sounds much more warm and endearing than its Yankee counterpart, y'all just works better in the English language.

Y'all is concise. Y'all is gender neutral. Y'all has a plural form. 
Y'all just makes so much more sense.

Examples?

If I am talking to a group of girls: 

Hey, do you guys want to go to get some frozen yogurt? 
Girls are not guys. 

Hey, do y'all want to go to get some frozen yogurt?
Y'all is gender neutral. It works.


Let's say I want to ask a group of classmates about an assignment that was just handed out:

Hey, do your guyses packets have three pages or four pages?
Um, what? What does that even mean? How do I even spell that?

Hey, do y'alls packets have three pages or four pages?
Ah, much better. Y'all has a plural form. 


Let's say I am asking a group of people about their plans:

Are all of you guys going to the Chili Cookoff tonight?
Not too much of a mouth full, but I'd rather say...

Are all y'all going to the Chili Cookoff tonight?
Y'all is concise yet all encompassing. 


Like everything else in America, the English language is full of freedoms and choices. 
Some great, some mediocre at best. 

So choose wisely, y'all. 

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