tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post6972812039274941906..comments2023-04-22T01:21:15.002-05:00Comments on The Big Heat: Ya'll vs. Y'all - A Texan's AnguishGae-Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12410169062960865279noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-77272092821761788862021-08-04T05:23:36.322-05:002021-08-04T05:23:36.322-05:00Would I be right is surmising that 'ya'll&...Would I be right is surmising that 'ya'll' would properly translate to y'all will? I'm a Scot so have no idea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-86227512799768002812021-05-17T15:25:00.265-05:002021-05-17T15:25:00.265-05:00Actually, Gae-Lynn, none of my characters ever say...Actually, Gae-Lynn, none of my characters ever say 'ya', they do say 'yuh' on occasion, but mostly 'you' or ya'll for plural. I use ya'll because it's the original southern usage. But I think it's fine, either way. Whatever butters your bread. Most of my novels are either historical fiction western or Southern Noir Mystery...circa 1948 - 1951. I've always used it. Oh, I also raised cattle and quarter horses for many years in east Texas...more specifically, Henderson County and I raised reg. Beefmasters...ya'll.Ken Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16742339789828970027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-89130722799629430302021-05-15T16:55:00.505-05:002021-05-15T16:55:00.505-05:00Fantastic information, Ken! I love the historical ...Fantastic information, Ken! I love the historical context you provide. <br /><br />If your characters say "ya", then you are correct - "ya'll" is the right contraction. I don't read many books where the author writes, "How are ya today?" If you do, then ya'll makes perfect sense. My characters say, "How are you today?"; therefore, my contraction is y'all.<br /><br />Congratulations on writing 40 novels! I've only got three out there at the moment, but I hope to catch up to you one day!<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by, and all the very best!<br />Gae-LynnGae-Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12410169062960865279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-67825544873697306902021-05-15T12:23:00.282-05:002021-05-15T12:23:00.282-05:00Gae-Lynn, FYI Just for sake of discussion - Ya'...Gae-Lynn, FYI Just for sake of discussion - Ya'll most likely derived from the Scots-Irish "ye aw" that became "ya all" in the antebellum South. The singular was "ya". As in, "How ya doing?" The earliest printed usage was in antebellum Southern newspapers and was almost always spelled ya'll. "Y'all" first appeared in Northern newspapers as a derisive reference to Southerners.<br />I'm a born and bred Texas (80 years old) and have 40 novels published. I have used ya'll all my life...so far, and in all my novels. Hemmingway did, also. https://www.facebook.com/ken.storyteller/Ken Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16742339789828970027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-14056739988080509112021-01-11T16:16:10.589-06:002021-01-11T16:16:10.589-06:00I believe the singular is 'ya'.
Like are y...I believe the singular is 'ya'.<br />Like are ya goin wit us?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10982348764429780106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-77836324447773061092019-05-19T15:31:02.502-05:002019-05-19T15:31:02.502-05:00Where I come from, people say "How ya doin...Where I come from, people say "How ya doin'?", not "How are you doing?". <br /><br />I suppose for plural we could say "How ya all doin'?", not "How are you all doing?"<br /><br />But it gets shortened to "How ya'll doin'?", rather than of "How are y'all doing?"<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-3904074690526363472019-05-19T15:23:55.481-05:002019-05-19T15:23:55.481-05:00So... what is the proper contraction for "ya ...So... what is the proper contraction for "ya all"? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-203379324201668562019-04-16T09:52:34.386-05:002019-04-16T09:52:34.386-05:00Neither ya'll nor y'all are real words. I...Neither ya'll nor y'all are real words. It's funny to see people arguing over the spelling of nonexistent words.<br /><br />Have a good day, ya'll.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09132733125250361385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-54071631134513922432018-05-10T15:18:07.564-05:002018-05-10T15:18:07.564-05:00I love this! Who knows, maybe those Easterners are...I love this! Who knows, maybe those Easterners are seeing more than just you standing there alone... And "I'm fixin' to" is definitely worth exploring - thanks for stopping by!Gae-Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12410169062960865279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-11513374611770623102018-02-15T23:25:39.370-06:002018-02-15T23:25:39.370-06:00I have to disagree on one comment. Y'all can&...I have to disagree on one comment. Y'all can't be used as a singular. Only people from the East say that, and usually they say it to make fun of us saying it. They will look at me and say "how y'all doing?". Then I turn around and look then say who all are you talking to? Only I'm standing here." It's you all. All as in more than one. <br /> The next thing for you tackle will have to be the Texan "I'm fixin' to"...!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-34029343831929158192016-06-01T21:58:11.317-05:002016-06-01T21:58:11.317-05:00Ya'll are wrong if you spell it y'all. In...Ya'll are wrong if you spell it y'all. In the South, they said "ya" rather than "you" so ya'll is the contraction for ya all, not YOU all, which was the way Yankees said it, therefore spelled it y'all. I will spell it ya'll until the day I die and know I am right. :) Ya'll have a great night. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09677121978029243011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-14084985484393592262016-06-01T21:57:48.360-05:002016-06-01T21:57:48.360-05:00Ya'll are wrong if you spell it y'all. In...Ya'll are wrong if you spell it y'all. In the South, they said "ya" rather than "you" so ya'll is the contraction for ya all, not YOU all, which was the way Yankees said it, therefore spelled it y'all. I will spell it ya'll until the day I die and know I am right. :) Ya'll have a great night. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09677121978029243011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-3504835156248452312016-05-18T05:14:00.650-05:002016-05-18T05:14:00.650-05:00I was having this conversation with someone and de...I was having this conversation with someone and decided to do some research and came across this blog. Very very interesting with all the comments. I always write "ya'll", and was corrected by my friend. I was thinking the exact same about "ya all", we don't see "you all". So, then the next is, is it "ya'll've gotta try this!", how would be the appropriate southern "you all need to try this"? Hmm..it could go on and on. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09610854934399303504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-51266944236109493602016-05-11T11:19:44.454-05:002016-05-11T11:19:44.454-05:00"they shorten it to something like ye" s..."they shorten it to something like ye" should be they shorten it to something like YA.SidCharminghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01403684558687490349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-18415177638824094692016-05-11T11:15:52.499-05:002016-05-11T11:15:52.499-05:00I'm from the North, North Dakota. For me to s...I'm from the North, North Dakota. For me to see both reasons for spelling goes with why gray is also grey. I've spent my military time with people from all over. And one thing I am certain there is slang from different regions... Ye'all or Y'all fall into this category because people from the south don't tend to say YOU, they shorten it to something like ye. So for me to append all to ye, it tends to come across as ye'all. I get it... I am not from the south and you have a way to spell... but from the north we have a way of speaking which drives y'all southerners nuts... It's WASH, not worsh; it's Roof, roaf... Yeah, it get's a bit crazy, but none the less the gist of the message is accepted. The person writing is either from the north or the south and no one is 100% correct. SidCharminghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01403684558687490349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-51995045936484061072016-03-17T13:39:15.298-05:002016-03-17T13:39:15.298-05:00I've read every word of this trying to find a ...I've read every word of this trying to find a definitive answer. Born in OK, raised in TX, living in TN. Always spelled it "ya'll" but can see the logic of "y'all." But heck, I thought saying "Hey!" as a greeting was purely a fabrication of the writers of The Andy Griffith show until we moved to TN. To our surprise, it's how EVERYONE says hello here. We also learned that one syllable words in the Deep South general aren't. "Chair" becomes "Cha-er," "Door" becomes "Doe-er," etc. Oh, and you rarely enunciate the "g" on an ending "ing" word. I give you our classic Banana Puddin.<br /><br />The best I can tell from this thread is that there is no definitively right answer. So to each his/her own. Until my boss corrects me with HIS way. :) <br />Nonnariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07974089879590501440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-28419567438069895162016-01-19T15:37:03.904-06:002016-01-19T15:37:03.904-06:00Here's a little to add to the controversy. I&...Here's a little to add to the controversy. I'm a southerner. Always lived in Texas and Oklahoma. I spell it ya'll and here's the reason:<br /><br />In casual conversation, we often use the word "ya" in place of "you". For example:<br /><br />"Are ya fixin' to go to the store? Will ya pick me up a few things?"<br />"What the hell are ya doing?"<br />"Did ya (of course, often this sounds more like Didja) see the wreck on the highway?"<br />"I waved to ya but ya didn't see me."<br /><br />The root is "ya" + "all", merged together to form ya'll, as we have our own words for things in the South. I don't begrudge anyone to use the contraction the other way, but if you're using country/southern dialect, we use "ya" more often than "you". Just like we use "fixin to" to mean "about to". Just like "ain't" ain't a word, even though it's a contraction of "am not", but we still use it. Try figuring out how ain't = am not.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951789574619418765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-87002034640902430412015-09-23T13:25:46.877-05:002015-09-23T13:25:46.877-05:00"How's y'all's mom and them doin&..."How's y'all's mom and them doin'?" = "How's y'all's momanem doin'?" ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12453211361549638574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-56199577987033401212015-08-27T13:38:57.618-05:002015-08-27T13:38:57.618-05:00Update: The only contractions I can find where t...Update: The only contractions I can find where the ' substitutes letters from the first word are 'twas and 'tisn't (and both of those are considered archaic). BTW - I'm obviously no Grammar girl! :)<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09329015468627372787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-73693085240302840452015-08-27T08:26:00.312-05:002015-08-27T08:26:00.312-05:00I love that I found this!!! The initial argument...I love that I found this!!! The initial argument made perfect sense. But then I got to thinkin'... (I am a true born and bred Carolina girl) I type it ya'll, but my sister would type it y'all (another sister would never type such a thing!). So once I went back to your basic grammar rules. Contractions are combinations of words using an apostrophe for the missing letters. Since this is true - You All would be correct as y'all but Ya All would be correct as ya'll (the apostrophe replacing the a in all). So then doing my due diligence - I wanted to find other contractions that remove letters from the first word (as y'all does) but I cannot come up with any. Ya'll help me out? But setting that last issues aside.... I now contend that Y'all is the "formal" version since it stands for You All and ya'll is the less formal since it stands for ya all. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09329015468627372787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-46442178702098476982015-05-13T11:23:45.735-05:002015-05-13T11:23:45.735-05:00Howdy, Gae-Lynn. I like your logic of determining...Howdy, Gae-Lynn. I like your logic of determining how contractions have come about. Use the 1st word, minus letters of the 2nd word. But then, ..... how did you get "y'all"? It might help to consider that the contraction is actually for "ya all" and not "you all", since it's ( for the record: http://www.its-not-its.info/) generally attributed to US Southerners for its origination, where "ya" is often substituted for "you". Amen.<br />Of course, there's already a "you'll" for "you will" which would cause confusion when using the same strategy for "you all". Ahhh, then new rule? Reverse Rule? The opposite rule applies when not workng with Verbs? Example: you will vs. you all = you'll vs y'all. But my mind draws a blank at the moment of other non-verb(non=verbal) contractions. Gees, ... the hole is getting deeper.Juneau Cousinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07916366294690029115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-3513145490108402762015-04-12T04:16:04.035-05:002015-04-12T04:16:04.035-05:00This made me smile because I am Southern; well, En...This made me smile because I am Southern; well, England South Western, but my South Carolinian friend wrote me using the contraction ya'll and I wrote her back saying shouldn't that be y'all. She told me I was living in the wrong part of the world :-). To be fair to her, she does use ya instead of you, so I guess her ya'll makes sense–just not to an English-Welsh person. <br /><br />I use y'all and fixin' to all the time over here because they are so useful, so US Southern has been exported to South West England.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-10516977375683407902015-01-06T17:46:05.523-06:002015-01-06T17:46:05.523-06:00Hey Catwomn-
How interesting. Now that you mentio...Hey Catwomn-<br /><br />How interesting. Now that you mention it, I rarely use "y'all" and intend for it to refer to an individual. Like you, I'm asking about everyone we have in common, and those folks that we don't have in common but are important to the person I'm talking to!Gae-Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12410169062960865279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-22015301774742228842014-11-18T10:04:29.267-06:002014-11-18T10:04:29.267-06:00Gae-Lynn, I'm curious. When you use "y&#...Gae-Lynn, I'm curious. When you use "y'all" to refer to an individual, is your intention REALLY to make a singular reference? For instance, suppose I meet a friend on the street and ask, "How y'all doin'?" When I ask that question, I'm not merely asking about her welfare. I'm also asking about the welfare of her husband/kids/parents/roommates/significant others/pets/whoevers as well!<br /><br />I'm from SC by the way, and agree that Stephen King's singular use (mentioned below) drives me batty!Catwomnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03145716957381213966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783311691038704303.post-79654794249997379492014-11-07T16:46:20.072-06:002014-11-07T16:46:20.072-06:00You are absolutely right, Falkon1313! Southerns sa...You are absolutely right, Falkon1313! Southerns say ya instead of you... "How ya doing?" Keep in mind the word ya'll is a southern word! We're combining ya and all not "you all" as a northern would say it. The apostrophe is replacing the a in all just like the example I am = I'm. You're always shorting the Second word, so the correct spelling is ya'll.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18408398448208996905noreply@blogger.com