Y'all's sprawl. Linguists study the spread of a Southern term

Houston Chronicle/Columbia News Service ^ | Feb. 19, 2005 | MOISES VELASQUEZ-MANOFF

[CholeraJoe]

"Out on the road the traffic slowed down to a crawl
Strobe lights flashin' on the overpass
The tangled steel could not reveal what no one saw
Or how he walked away without a scratch
He thought of her and walked along the exit ramp
He touched the night between two old street lamps."

The President of the USA is going to Bratislava, Slovakia.

"Dude, you made out with your sister. What were you thinking???" /Eurotrip reference.

[Colt .45]

Y'all come back now, heah?!

[annyokie]

Shore.

[Senator Pardek]

...he's just trying to jerk me...

No comment.

[TheBrotherhood]

"English handles 3rd person plural poorly."

I believe you meant 2nd person plural.

[CarryaBigStick]

No,no,no...Y'all are goin' ta be similated.

[SouthTexas]

Took me a minute there, long day. :)

[SAJ]

Well, FReepers are rather into innocent (please read: not offensive to fellow FReepers) fun, right.

Just an offhand, y'know how it goes (I **sincerely** hope!).

Best to you, and FReegards, and don' forgot some Gumbo File in de pot, rat? (g!)

[SouthTexas]

I took in in jest, just took a minute to compute.

Also tried for gumbo the other night and wife wouldn't make any. :(

[radiohead]

ya'll and coonass have somehow found its way into my everyday vocab

Coonass?? Coonass?? Now I know they don't say that in NYC!

At the risk of being flamed by my Southern FRiends, I say you-all. Y'all sounds too Southern and uneducated to me. I would never use it in front of co-workers (academics who would likely call me on my language).

I'm surprised the study found that 'y'all' was spreading and not 'you-all.'

[cyborg]

I picked up a lot of words from different people I meet. It's weird. The one that has stuck the most, well it's a few words 'bless your heart' *LOL* Ya'll works for me because I'm getting mentally lazy in my old age! hehehehe.

[SAJ]

Aw, mah frien', Gumbo File ain't ''gumbo''. Whoa man, ol' BayouRod (among other FReepers, of course) will tall yo, Gumbo File is jus' a traditional spice an' thicknah, made from 2 part dried thyme, 3 part groun' sassafras root, l'il pinch o'salt. (An' yo mebbe sneak in a bit o' cayenne, but yo keep dat to yoself, rat?) Yo wanna use file as some big thicknah, yo gonna wanna add l'il bit arrowroot, or flour if yo a Yankee.

BTW, yo wanna see good gumbo cookin', yo wanna watch ol' rerun o' Justin Wilson, or, mebbe mo bettah, sometime yo watch Emeril (g!). Dese boys dey COOK some gumbo, yo betcha.

(duckin') Couldn't resist, mate -- sorry for the teasing. Really, though, gumbo file is a spice mixture, but gumbo -- well, that's a whole 'nother subject.

FReegards!

[TruthNtegrity]

one ping and only pink Vasily.

I guess the person taking your call wasn't a Submariner because if he'd been, he'd have had NO trouble understanding your request. HAR!

Sorry - I love Southernisms and I love Navy lingo and sometimes they intersect.

"Youse guys" said without the correct accent just sounds dumb. Born in NY, I use "you guys" but none of my friends do. And I've noticed that my "born in DC" friends do not use "Y'all" at all. Very strange.

[SouthTexas]

Oh I know, we used to family in New Orleans, may still for all that matter.

Your comment just me think about gumbo. Sure was in the mood too. Already had the shrimp and fish, but had to settle for fried-in cornmeal of course! :)

Justin Wilson I'd go for, Emril gets a little wild at times, but I guess Yankees got to eat too.

[SAJ]

GMTA, m'friend! We're on the same page, absotively.

No insult ever to your lovely wife, but you know what they ask, rat?

Is she pretty, or does she know how ta make a roux? (w!)

Ideally both, of course, and I'd wager she is an' can.

Best wishes to yo' house, and FReegards! (an' be sho' an' save dat fresh clam juice for de hoboy killer Bloody Mary, or Bloody Virgin, either way yo wan', fo' to go along wit dat gumbo!)

;^)

[Petronski]

I usually say "Every single one of you bastards," but I make sure they have a sense of humor first.

LOL

[SouthTexas]

Is she pretty, or does she know how ta make a roux? (w!)

Now that's debatable, but she been aroun' so long, I guess I keep her.LOL

You have a good evenin' now and stay warm cause the cold done got down hea

[SAJ]

Thanks, mate!

As my old (and thoroughly Cajun) tutor would say -- and did: ''If de snow evah jam up de bayou, an' we got lot o' dat dam* ''Yankee watah'' (one of a number of terms of art around Thibodeaux) hyah, you don' wanna stick aroun' for what gonna happen nextime. Son, snow is jus' G-d warnin' ya. You see snow lak a Yankee see snow, no Cajun gonna be hyah 30 minute, jes' one time. '' (Attended college in Conn., another world, and Mr. M. could and did tease along with the best. Good-hearted all the time, even when ''raggin' mah sorry Yankee butt''. I was of course a ''Yankee''...sigh).

I suppose that he's just smiling at the ''global warming'' types these days.

Wonderful folks, independent, responsible for their own actions, and their own lives, virtually no use for gov't. And, btw, BOY do they create great food!

FReegards! :^)

[Myrddin]

I believe you meant 2nd person plural.

Yes. Inadequate sleep makes for inaccurate commentary.

[SouthTexas]

I suppose that he's just smiling at the ''global warming'' types these days.

I can imagine so! We had some of that yankee watah this Christmas, dog didn't even know what it was. she kept looking at me like "what did you do to the yard"?

Seems most across the south are the independent type and all do very well with their cookin'.