Are y’all even from here? In Kansas City, we have a unique blend of typical Midwest nice (re: our last grammar lesson on “Ope”) and sweet Southern charm.
As one Reddit user said on this thread, “Someone can sound like they’re from Chicago and someone can sound like they’re from Alabama, and they both grew up here.”
Today, we’re focusing on Southern speak — particularly, “y’all.” So how exactly did the word come to be + how the heck do you spell it?
Unlike many languages, English lacks a second-person plural, so the word “you” can be used to address a single person or a group of people. For clarity, many American English speakers have adopted the phrase “you all” to indicate a multitude + “y’all” just so happens to be a grammatically acceptable contraction of that (although similar words like “you’uns” or “youse” are typically less adored by strict grammarians).
But there are rules, y’all. As with any linguistic contraction — think: “I’m,” “she’s,” “won’t,” “we’ve” — the apostrophe replaces letters that are missing from the full word or phrase. Since “y’all” is the abbreviated form of “you all,” the apostrophe is placed where the o + u are missing. Thus, “y’all,” not “ya’ll.”
Another benefit of using it? It’s the most inclusive term you can use to address folks because it encompasses everyone.
If you’re interested in learning more about the history of this or other Southern dialectisms, check out the following titles: the “Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English,” “The Companion to Southern Literature” + “Speaking American: How Y’all, Youse, and You Guys Talk.”