On the 2nd Person Plural (UNPUBLISHED: 2007)

Things are simpler in the South. In a good way. At least when it comes to one word: y’all. In fact, two words: you and all. I personally find it an unnecessary inconvenience to distinguish in English between you and you. The way I see it, when you is you and you is you, who’s to know who is who. The context determines the attribute, I know. But why can’t we just make it simple? Consider the following advice to a newly-wed: “What is yours is yours” (We’ll come back to it).

The French make it is simple. You is tu and you is vous. Of course you can also be vous, as a courtesy. Some think of African languages as simple—I disagree with that—but even we make it simple. For instance, in my native Akan you is wo and you is mo. The Spanish make it simplest. You is tu, you is vosotros, you is usted and you is ustedes, with the latter two being the more formal you and you. Simple, isn’t it? So why not same in English?

Southerners get this; hence, the ever-charming contraction, y’all, to distinguish between you and you (y’all, so to speak). In addition, your is your and your is y’all’s, even though I don’t know if y’all’s should be written yall’s or y’all’s with the double apostrophe. In fact, some of my Southern friends say there’s yet another distinction, all o’ y’all, which is you for a large group of people, which means all o’ y’all’s is your for a large group, though I’m not sure about the triple apostrophe.

It appears the rest of us have fallen behind because until the 13th century you was thou and you was ye[i], until people decided to keep things…well…simple. To be fair, some non-Southern regions have variations such as youse and you guys but nothing as clear and simple as y’all.

Some dictionaries of American English recognize y’all as regional speak but why can’t y’all just make it official? Adopt it through the formal process if there is one. God forbid, teach it in schools. Why not? I think I know why. I think it’s because all o’ y’all are just Yankee snubs. Think about it, if you are reading this you can’t know whether I’m addressing you or y’all so y’all just assume that I’m addressing you.

Now let’s rewrite the advice to the newly-wed: “What is yours is y’all’s.” (or is that y’all’ses?) Clearly, things are much simpler when all o’ y’all can tell the difference between you and y’all, and your and y’all’s.

[i] Source: Dictionary.com