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Subject:Re: Redneck step of the day... From:quills -at- airmail -dot- net To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:31:38 -0600
Or simply say, "Thet dog won't hunt!"
Scott
On 12/17/09 6:04 PM, Boudreaux, Madelyn (GE Healthcare, consultant) wrote:
> I can think of using it when speaking to one person when there are
> implied others, such as, to a friend, "Are y'all coming to my party,"
> where "y'all" refers to the person and any others who might be likely to
> accompany him/her, such as family or a social circle.
>
> However, in my version of the South (Louisiana), we are also capable of
> using "you" to speak to an individual. In fact, if one says "Are y'all
> coming to my party," when you MEANT, "Are YOU (and only you) coming to
> my party," you might get an influx of people who were NOT invited. No
> Southerner would make THAT mistake. There are social implications there!
> (I sometimes think this may be why we use "y'all." Social niceties
> demand that one be specific. If, in the south, one asks, "Are you coming
> to the party," when one means, "Are y'all coming to the party," it might
> create hurt feelings -- "She only invited ME," -- which typically leads
> to drama, which leads to intergenerational clan warfare.)
>
> However, I've also never heard the inanimate object usage. Certainly, a
> bunch of dogs or chickens may be "y'all" ("Are y'all hungry?" which is a
> stupid question to ask dogs or chickens for various reasons), but while
> I can *imagine* using it to address, say, a copse of trees ("I'm fixin
> ta chop y'all down!"), it's still deliberate, probably comedic,
> anthropomorphism.
>
> I've also only heard "all y'all" in conjunction with a 4-letter word,
> usually uttered right before the speaker slinks out of the room in a
> foul mood. For some reason, I associate this construction with modern
> hip-hop culture only.
>
> MY question is, why did English not develop a word so obviously needed
> that every region has its version or the word, and they are all
> considered improper?
>
> Sincerely,
> Madelyn Boudreaux
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