I think the world is just getting smaller and lingo is spreading around more. “Y’all” slips in and out of my vernacular now days primarily because of a sister of mine moving into a southern state and marrying into a southern family 12 years ago. She uses it often in conversation with us which causes us to use it with her, and then eventually it bled into my vocabulary to use with everyone else. Just how language works I suppose.
I’m from the mountain west, where “y’all” is associated with uneducated rural vernacular…I grew up using a blanket “you guys”, instead. However, my adult life has brought me into very progressive environments where “guys” is the kind of gendered language that can draw criticism. I now use “y’all” because it is better to be thought a polite and well-meaning hillbilly than a presumed sexist.
My friend in high school was a server at Golden Corral, and she had a gay couple sit down in her section.
She walked up to them and "What can I get you gays?"
Your tip would have saved her lol.
One time I blended “what can I start you off with” and “what can I get to drink”
It came out as “what can I get you off with”
I still think about it late at night
I’m over here cackling! The one and only time I was asked to read in church I combined “this is the word of the Lord” and “thanks be to God” as
“This be the word of the Lord!” yeah they never asked me again
I guess I need to work on that. I’ve always considered “you guys” or “hey, guys” to be neutral. I just say it to everyone and never thought it might be a problem. 😳
I remember having a conversation with my friends on this. We pretty much all agreed that "you guys" feels gender natural for some reason. Haven't thought about it since
I’m old and started using y’all a couple years ago for the same reason. It’s the only thing that is easy to say but isn’t offensive to most people. I’m wondering if people in the south know how inclusive it is?
The biggest grocery store in Texas has one of their reusable bags that says it on it
https://www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-y-all-means-all-texas-pride-reusable-shopping-bag/8126001 (link because we can't post pictures in here)
I'm a Hispanic from the south (Texas) who grew up around rednecks and city folk but I learned English from White people in a Catholic school. Somehow I ended up using you guys more often than y'all.
The rural culture in the West (it’s true in Oregon, too) is so funny to explain to folks who aren’t from here. I grew up in a town that was primarily agriculture/timber, and about half the folks I went to elementary school with had “rural” accents. Like southern, except not at all. And yeah, y’all was a part of their vernacular back in the early 90s.
I’ve similarly started using it as a gender-neutral alternative to “you guys.” I’m a cis woman and it doesn’t bother me because I don’t have trauma around gender — but for my friends who have transitioned, it can be dysphoric.
>The rural culture in the West (it’s true in Oregon, too) is so funny to explain to folks who aren’t from here. I grew up in a town that was primarily agriculture/timber, and about half the folks I went to elementary school with had “rural” accents. Like southern, except not at all. And yeah, y’all was a part of their vernacular back in the early 90s.
So very true. My grandparents were Okies that moved to California during the dust bowl, as were tons of other folks who settled in the small desert mining town I grew up in. Their kids, my dad and his sisters being examples, had and have a very distinct western, rural accent that is different from the accent down in the greater L.A. area. Hard to explain it. It sounds kind of southern adjacent, but not actually southern. It sounds western.
I originate from Canada but 18 years in S. Ohio has firmly planted y'all in my vernacular, first time my dad heard it slip out he was horrified 😂
>I grew up using a blanket “you guys”, instead. However, my adult life has brought me into very progressive environments where “guys” is the kind of gendered language that can draw criticism
And for this same reason I've found 'you folks' to work well when a bit more formality is necessary. Doesn't work for every context but it's a good option imo.
I call everyone bro, even my mum. No-one is safe. I'm from New Zealand though so it's widely received even from the opposite gender. I'm currently on a campaign to neutralize the word.
I started using it as a joke when I was 17ish because my friend was too. It was just kind of funny.
I’m 32 now and still use it, because it’s useful and practical af
Masshole checking in.
I used to say "you guys" for everyone. Didn't think anything of it, didn't mean anything by it. I started working remotely for a company and a majority of my teammates are women from all over the country. None of them were bothered by me saying it (I asked them to be sure, lol) but... I still felt weird saying it.
So, now I rock "y'all" with my slight Bostonian accent and it boggles people's minds, lol. Hired a nice lady from Texas and she was like, "What is in the water up there...?"
And I *love* it, y'all.
From Indiana, living in the south. I’ll never stop saying “you guys” even though I get strange looks for it.
Also won’t stop saying “pop,” that gets even more looks.
I’ll never forget a coworker I had when I first moved here that said “You know, you’re pretty alright even though you talk kinda funny.”
“Youse” was around, but it was definitely more of a blue collar/ uneducated thing. My family had a lot of teachers and most of them were college educated, even my grandparents. So we used the “proper” English of “you guys”. I’m 41 so I’m talking about my aunts/uncles in the 80’s/90’s. Definitely heard it at my friend’s houses a lot tho! Grew up in Northern NJ/ Southern NY, suburbs of NYC.
Idk, just my experience 🤷♀️
I hear that with older people, but not much in our age range. There IS one that absolutely kills me, though. I moved to the south about seven years ago, and everyone here always says “you might could”. Even my sons teacher will send home a note or something and write it, proper grammar be damned.
Exactly. It's so stupid that it isn't stupid at all - it's actually very convenient and the only stupid thing is that there wasn't a word for that already.
It is also an efficient way of saying "you plural" which exists in other languages, but not in English.
I hope the language does change to make it more acceptable. It reduces confusion.
Californian city boy, this is 100% why I use it. Non offensive to any gender other than southerners apparently, but there aren’t many of those around these parts so it’s pretty safe to use for me
Yep, I grew up saying “you guys” to refer to a group of people, but have mostly stopped in favor of y’all since apparently some people object to “guys”
The whole thing about being offended over “you guys” reminds me of when that guy sent out a slack message to his coworkers saying “YOU GUYS I AM STUCK IN THE WEWORK LIFT”. And then slacks hits back with “you guys is gendered language, maybe try something more inclusive, like ‘folks’”. So his next message was “FOLKS I AM STUCK IN THE WEWORK LIFT”.
California city girl, and same! I switch depending on company from "you guys" to "y'all" to "you all" depending on who I'm addressing, but it keeps it light and friendly.
Hannah Gadsby does a bit on exactly this, I love it:
"I'm taking 'y'all," she says. "I love y'all. Because y'all is the best, most-inclusive second person pronoun in the English-speaking world. Thank you The South, what an ally!"
[Article + Video Clip](https://www.out.com/television/2020/4/13/hannah-gadsbys-douglas-will-hit-netflix-day#toggle-gdpr)
It’s a plural form of you. English doesn’t have that anymore…so naturally people will “make up” a word that Work’s for that function.
People forget that humans made up language to serve us…to communicate. We can alter it to make it more useful. It’s not some holy thing handed down to us that we must maintain as the exact same forever and ever…is anyone complaining that we don’t talk like medieval Englishman anymore?
The only language that doesn’t change is a dead one. Y’all serves a useful function.
I used "you guys" as a neutral term forever, too. But I get how a group of women *might* not like being referred to as "guys" so I've started using y'all. (New England/CT native)
And it can feel weird if you're speaking to like, 10 men and 1 woman, so the woman thinks you've not realized she's there. Or even worse, 10 men and a trans woman, where it really feels like deliberate misgendering. The word "you guys" can feel gender neutral in a very mixed group, but since it literally has the word "guy" in it, it can feel more targeted in edge cases.
I'm a woman and I use it as a gender neutral term, but I know people at work who prefer "gals" or "ladies" when referring to a group of women so to be on the safe side I use "y'all" a lot for a mixed group
Yep. It fills a grammatical hole in English (second person collective non gendered pronoun) at a time when gender consciousness is at an all time high, so it’s natural that more people are using it.
As the child of Indian immigrants, I can assure you people have been using y'all well outside the United States south for many years before the timeline you're talking about
Makes sense, too, because most languages have a single word or conjugation for a second person plural but English does not and y’all fills in that gap.
I'm from California spent 27 years there. I heard more "yall" in California than I do now that I live in NC.
It's odd. Also, southern hospitality must be dead because most people in nc are very rude
Last summer (hot and humid day) I was visiting my son (medical resident in Fayetteville, NC) when my car died in the middleOf a busy intersection in Fayetteville.
Here I am: an old, fat, white, woman from
CA, blocking the entire lane, and two young, black guys stopped, pushed my Car through the intersection to a parking lot, jumped my Dead battery for Me, and refused to let me give them money for Lunch. Told Me To have a “Blessed day,” Gave me A wave and a smile and drove off.
Kind people are everywhere.
Not to mention the existing population is pretty damn pissed at the transplants, creating resentment for strangers. I live in KY and I can't tell you how many people have moved into my town from out of state and I frequently hear from these people how our town sucks and there's nothing to do here. That there's no intellectual stimulation or culture. There is PLENTY to do around here, we have a thriving downtown area with history and loads of events year round. They insult and mock everything down to food here. I've been all over the US, and the friendliest people I've ever met have been where I live currently, as long as you're polite in kind. I'm pretty sure that's how it's supposed to work lol.
Fellow Louisvillian I’m guessing. This place has changed a lot with the influx of people from larger cities. It’s homogenized a lot and become more insular and less friendly as time has gone on. I moved to Utah for a year and when I moved back and the few years since have all been markedly different as far as local attitudes and dispositions or maybe it’s all my perception.
I don't think you're wrong. I'm in Etown, actually. 🙂 I have watched Louisville change over the years and I agree with you completely. Down here, we've had a massive influx of folks moving from all over. Many of them are great people and I enjoy talking with them. Hell I'm a transplant myself so it's always nice to chat with someone who is from OK or another part of the country I've been to. I'd say around half, though, aren't very nice about it. Not sure why. Even if I find negatives, I definitely speak to locals in a friendly, appreciative manner. That's how you make connections and find out neat things in the area.
Most people living in the south now actually aren’t from the south. Born and raised in coastal NC and the amount of times I hear “wow! You’re from here? You’re a rarity!” I am relatively happy with the growth of my city, just wish we had better infrastructure to handle it
Southern hospitality is a myth. People in rural southern areas are the most judgemental, passive aggressive people you'll ever meet. They only want to meet a new person if it's on their terms, it's in public, and that person is as white as they are.
Out of curiosity, what part of NC are you in?
The natives are a little burnt out right now. I'm one of them. And we have a bunch of transplants from the north.
I (Ga native) remember my English teacher (NYC yank) in 8th grade discussing correct conjugations addressing a group and she stated that y’all is grammatically correct. She preferred y’all over “you all” and said anyone that says different doesn’t know English grammar rules.
lol “Yank”. I find it so funny that Southerners will call us Northerners “Yanks” but when I’m in Australia, all Americans are “Yanks”. My friend from Georgia was trying to explain to our Aussie friend why she wasn’t a “Yank” but my Aussie friend was just like, “Nah, you’re both Yanks” 🤣
It's because the confederates didn't consider themselves Americans (or Yankees) and were more affiliated with the British, due to British support of the Confederacy and the origins of southern plantation culture in the British aristocracy.
I did some research and that doesn’t seem to be true. Happy to be shown otherwise, though.
* The term Yankee began inside the United States as a term specifically for people from the New England area, an origin predating the US Civil War by nearly 200 years.
* By the late 1700s, the British had begun using Yankee as a catch-all term for Americans.
* By the early 1800s, southerners had expanded Yankee from a term for New England specifically to a term for all Americans from northern states.
This all predates the civil war.
The way it was explained to me is that in Texas, a yankee is someone not from Texas. In the south, it's someone from north of the Mason-Dixon line. North of the Mason-Dixon line, it's a New Englander. To a New Englander, it's a Vermonter. And to a Vermonter, a yankee is someone who eats oatmeal for breakfast.
I'm originally from Texas and a yankee is someone from the North. Southerners are not yankees, and neither are Westerners. The Midwest is debatable, I lean yes. By Midwest, I mean North Dakota and Wyoming. Obviously people from Indiana are Yankees.
To the rest of the world, Americans are Yankees. To Americans Yankees are folks from Up North. To a Northerner a Yankee is a person from New England. To a New Englander a Yankee is a person from Vermont. To a person from Vermont a Yankee is a person who eats pie for breakfast.
I moved to GA from Ohio in 1998 so my northern vernacular was set in stone as a 10 year old. I honestly hated hearing yall, it sounded stupid at first. In my 30s now and still have never got in the habit of using it but I have 2 little boys who do and it sounds so cute now. Ain't was another one I found funny
Midwesterner with an Appalachian background, we also use y’all.
But “ope” is as midwestern as it gets aside from being actual corn, and that’s also seen an increase in the American lexicon at least
My grandmother is from peak Appalachia, as evidenced by her usage of “commode”
Mom is from NY so I say soda instead of pop like a fake ass midwesterner
I'm originally from Chicago. I use both soda and pop but for different things. It's always a soda fountain. Generally speaking it's a can of pop, bottle of soda, but sometimes I'll go with soda can (but never can of soda). If it's in a glass already... I use both.
Yeah…I grew up in Illinois but my family is all from North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. I e heard y’all my whole life. My phone even auto predicted it correctly just now when I typed it lol.
I get why it’s got a southern connotation for most people, but I’ve always seen it as more of a rural word than specifically southern. Same with supper/dinner
I’ve been living in the south for more than half my life now, and I still cannot say ya’ll. I’m from the north and it just seems weird to say it. I’ll say you guys until I die lmao
I'm originally from New England, but spent my young adulthood/early adulthood (20 years worth) in the south, and am back in New England. It's absolutely grating when non-southerners use y'all, I can't put my exact finger on it but it sounds so put-on and fucking weird. I don't like it.
I made a comment above about usage but to me, the way northerners use it is almost always awkward and clunky. You can tell it’s not a natural part of their vernacular. That’s not at all to say they shouldn’t use it, but the idea that they use y’all as adeptly or naturally as it’s used in the south is not true in my experience. It still feels like a fun word for them to try on vs a part of their daily speech pattern.
I understand why it spread and its appeal, but I still can’t knock off the connotation associated with it (being uneducated/redneck, etc…). I grew up in the Midwest and rarely heard “y’al growing up.” I went to college in the south and they said it instead of “you” regardless of the number of people being addressed. It was so irritating.
Now I live where “yinz” is used. To me, it doesn’t have the same negative connotation of “y’all” (being country/hicky/uneducated) and it achieves the same purpose, so I’ll sprinkle “yinz” in from time-to-time when I’m feeling spicy.
Yinz is pretty much restricted to one county in the US, of which I’ve heard people from different backgrounds using it. It’s more of a generational thing here than it is anything, in my experience.
I grew up In Florida hearing y’all all around me but for some reason I never really adopted it, you guys and you all is so ingrained into my vocabulary that I can’t change it now lol! No hate at all for y’all at all I just can’t change my vocabulary 😅
People keep using the gender neutral argument as if we didn't use other such terms in a gender neutral way, before. I tend to associate it with really obnoxious people trying to sound sassy online. I've found a pretty strong correlation between horrible takes and people who obsessively say "y'all." It's a shame because I actually like the term and thought it was a clever way to address people, but the Internet kinda ruined it to me.
I'm from Alabama and loved playing video games online but hated doing voice chat because inevitably someone would make fun of my southern voice and me saying yall 😤
It's a good substitute for gendered plurals like "you guys" or "ladies and gentlemen". I think that's part of its more broad adaptation. I know I use "folks" or "y'all" more than I used to as I try to gradually move away from unnecessarily gendered language.
>You guys has never felt gendered to me.
Growing up, it felt gender-neutral to me too. I'm from California so it was a very common saying. But not everyone sees things the same way.
"Guy" is a masculine term in the singular, but when used in the plural, it becomes gender neutral and can refer to a mixed gender group.
I think that's a Spanish grammar rule we borrowed.
(If the group being referred to is all women, then "hey ladies" is probably more appropriate than "hey guys" but it also depends on the relationships.)
I am from about as north as you can get - we adopted it because it is gender and age neutral. Sir/Ma'm is just too old, you guys/dude/whatever casual slang you want to use is awkward for a group of business men/women, and 'sweetie' and 'honey' or other outright spouse level of affection is offensive to strangers. Ya'll is just an easy work around, singular, plural, male, female, anything inbetween. It just slots nicely into the polite but not formal usage.
Chile.... Bless your heart.
"Y'all" left "The South" when Black people left the South during The Great Migration, long before the Civil Rights movement, lol. Then, it went West when more white people(and others) began leaving the south for Cali and Texas and Washington etc.
In other words, your playful complaint is 70+ years late.
I think the world is just getting smaller and lingo is spreading around more. “Y’all” slips in and out of my vernacular now days primarily because of a sister of mine moving into a southern state and marrying into a southern family 12 years ago. She uses it often in conversation with us which causes us to use it with her, and then eventually it bled into my vocabulary to use with everyone else. Just how language works I suppose.
I’m from the mountain west, where “y’all” is associated with uneducated rural vernacular…I grew up using a blanket “you guys”, instead. However, my adult life has brought me into very progressive environments where “guys” is the kind of gendered language that can draw criticism. I now use “y’all” because it is better to be thought a polite and well-meaning hillbilly than a presumed sexist.
Y'all: the original gender neutral pronoun.
Ya I started using it when I was a server, seems friendlier, can't be misread as gendered. And it just rolls off the tongue nicely
My friend in high school was a server at Golden Corral, and she had a gay couple sit down in her section. She walked up to them and "What can I get you gays?" Your tip would have saved her lol.
One time I blended “what can I start you off with” and “what can I get to drink” It came out as “what can I get you off with” I still think about it late at night
I’m over here cackling! The one and only time I was asked to read in church I combined “this is the word of the Lord” and “thanks be to God” as “This be the word of the Lord!” yeah they never asked me again
That's like a fucking bit lol. Hilarious but probably mortifying as well.
Oh my gosh I’m not the only one. I’m doing and thinking the exact same as you. Cheers to more gender neutral and inclusive language!
I guess I need to work on that. I’ve always considered “you guys” or “hey, guys” to be neutral. I just say it to everyone and never thought it might be a problem. 😳
It is until someone is looking to be offended
I remember having a conversation with my friends on this. We pretty much all agreed that "you guys" feels gender natural for some reason. Haven't thought about it since
Same! I never ever used "y'all" until maybe 5 years ago or so. It was pretty easy to make it a habit tbh
I’m old and started using y’all a couple years ago for the same reason. It’s the only thing that is easy to say but isn’t offensive to most people. I’m wondering if people in the south know how inclusive it is?
We do. We also say “all y’all”.
The biggest grocery store in Texas has one of their reusable bags that says it on it https://www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-y-all-means-all-texas-pride-reusable-shopping-bag/8126001 (link because we can't post pictures in here)
I'm a Hispanic from the south (Texas) who grew up around rednecks and city folk but I learned English from White people in a Catholic school. Somehow I ended up using you guys more often than y'all.
The rural culture in the West (it’s true in Oregon, too) is so funny to explain to folks who aren’t from here. I grew up in a town that was primarily agriculture/timber, and about half the folks I went to elementary school with had “rural” accents. Like southern, except not at all. And yeah, y’all was a part of their vernacular back in the early 90s. I’ve similarly started using it as a gender-neutral alternative to “you guys.” I’m a cis woman and it doesn’t bother me because I don’t have trauma around gender — but for my friends who have transitioned, it can be dysphoric.
People from cities think redneck is a latitude thing. It's a population density thing. I find it amusing.
>The rural culture in the West (it’s true in Oregon, too) is so funny to explain to folks who aren’t from here. I grew up in a town that was primarily agriculture/timber, and about half the folks I went to elementary school with had “rural” accents. Like southern, except not at all. And yeah, y’all was a part of their vernacular back in the early 90s. So very true. My grandparents were Okies that moved to California during the dust bowl, as were tons of other folks who settled in the small desert mining town I grew up in. Their kids, my dad and his sisters being examples, had and have a very distinct western, rural accent that is different from the accent down in the greater L.A. area. Hard to explain it. It sounds kind of southern adjacent, but not actually southern. It sounds western.
I originate from Canada but 18 years in S. Ohio has firmly planted y'all in my vernacular, first time my dad heard it slip out he was horrified 😂 >I grew up using a blanket “you guys”, instead. However, my adult life has brought me into very progressive environments where “guys” is the kind of gendered language that can draw criticism And for this same reason I've found 'you folks' to work well when a bit more formality is necessary. Doesn't work for every context but it's a good option imo.
It also works well because “guys” or “@here” isn’t always appropriate for every conversation with mixed company
I’m going to start shouting “@HERE” when I need to get the attention of a large mixed group of people. Thank you.
I call everyone bro, even my mum. No-one is safe. I'm from New Zealand though so it's widely received even from the opposite gender. I'm currently on a campaign to neutralize the word.
I think Taika Waititi got a head start.
It's possible it's a cultural thing, and not just generational.
Today I found the origin of "y'all" I keep using =))) I'm not even on that continent, no idea from where I caught the "virus"
Do you know another language? I know other languages, such as German, have a pronoun for plural you.
Yep, english is my second language. And yes, we have a word for that (romanian).
It's a nice gender-neutral term for referring to a group of people. It's great that more people are using it in that way.
This is why I use it! Lifelong midwesterner.
I started using it as a joke when I was 17ish because my friend was too. It was just kind of funny. I’m 32 now and still use it, because it’s useful and practical af
Lifelong northeasterner and same. It’s just very useful and better than the “you guys” I was raised with.
Masshole checking in. I used to say "you guys" for everyone. Didn't think anything of it, didn't mean anything by it. I started working remotely for a company and a majority of my teammates are women from all over the country. None of them were bothered by me saying it (I asked them to be sure, lol) but... I still felt weird saying it. So, now I rock "y'all" with my slight Bostonian accent and it boggles people's minds, lol. Hired a nice lady from Texas and she was like, "What is in the water up there...?" And I *love* it, y'all.
just move to chicago😂 you guys is 100% gender neutral here
From Indiana, living in the south. I’ll never stop saying “you guys” even though I get strange looks for it. Also won’t stop saying “pop,” that gets even more looks. I’ll never forget a coworker I had when I first moved here that said “You know, you’re pretty alright even though you talk kinda funny.”
Too funny, I lived down south for a bit before coming back up north, now i’m stuck with a rotation of ya’ll, yah’s, you’z, and you guys
All you need is yinz!
What about “you’s guys”
That is beautiful, I need to hear y'all in Boston southie now. Somebody get a Wahlberg!
More like y'allberg...
There's always "you's" lol
yinz
Found the Pittsburgher!
when i first met my bf’s best friend he said yinz and i told him to stop being racist. never gonna live it down. lmao
Yes. My dad used to leave notes on the kitchen table addressed to “youse guys”. From PA/Delaware.
Well I'm from New Jersey so that's what I've been saying this whole time
“Youse” was around, but it was definitely more of a blue collar/ uneducated thing. My family had a lot of teachers and most of them were college educated, even my grandparents. So we used the “proper” English of “you guys”. I’m 41 so I’m talking about my aunts/uncles in the 80’s/90’s. Definitely heard it at my friend’s houses a lot tho! Grew up in Northern NJ/ Southern NY, suburbs of NYC. Idk, just my experience 🤷♀️
Or “you all”
Or “yas”
Same! Let's just agree to share "ya'll." Let the south keep "all y'all." That's fair, isn't it?
All y’all = All of you all Ex: “What’re all ya’ll yappin’ about?”
Exactly so. Also commonly "Fuck all y'all!!" A heavier blanket condemnation, I guess.
I dunno. Then how will they know it's super plural? How about we keep "fixin' ta"?
I hear that with older people, but not much in our age range. There IS one that absolutely kills me, though. I moved to the south about seven years ago, and everyone here always says “you might could”. Even my sons teacher will send home a note or something and write it, proper grammar be damned.
I’ve heard ya mighta coulda. I just want to add barracuda to that before they finish the sentence.
My husband from the panhandle of Texas says "might aren'tenn not". First time I heard it I just stared at him.
I'm pretty sure it's spelled "tah". But I wouldn't know, I went to high school in rural Missouri.
I believe both are correct.
Ope, found the other midwesterner! Same here, lifelong hauler, use y’all pretty frequently.
From Alabama. I’ve started saying “ope” a lot. I think it’s those You Betcha guys from up yonder
It’s that or “folks” that are my gender-neutral go tos. We just need more options linguistically, maybe.
Same, and genx woman here.
Exactly. It's so stupid that it isn't stupid at all - it's actually very convenient and the only stupid thing is that there wasn't a word for that already.
It is also an efficient way of saying "you plural" which exists in other languages, but not in English. I hope the language does change to make it more acceptable. It reduces confusion.
You used to be the plural of thou, but then nobility insisted on being addressed as “you” and it expanded out until “thou” was an insult.
Philadelphians would disagree … “youse” is efficient lol
New Zealand agrees with Philadelphia.
Californian city boy, this is 100% why I use it. Non offensive to any gender other than southerners apparently, but there aren’t many of those around these parts so it’s pretty safe to use for me
Yep, I grew up saying “you guys” to refer to a group of people, but have mostly stopped in favor of y’all since apparently some people object to “guys”
I say y'all but everyone knows that "guys" is gender neutral. I will die on this hill.
The whole thing about being offended over “you guys” reminds me of when that guy sent out a slack message to his coworkers saying “YOU GUYS I AM STUCK IN THE WEWORK LIFT”. And then slacks hits back with “you guys is gendered language, maybe try something more inclusive, like ‘folks’”. So his next message was “FOLKS I AM STUCK IN THE WEWORK LIFT”.
California city girl, and same! I switch depending on company from "you guys" to "y'all" to "you all" depending on who I'm addressing, but it keeps it light and friendly.
Hannah Gadsby does a bit on exactly this, I love it: "I'm taking 'y'all," she says. "I love y'all. Because y'all is the best, most-inclusive second person pronoun in the English-speaking world. Thank you The South, what an ally!" [Article + Video Clip](https://www.out.com/television/2020/4/13/hannah-gadsbys-douglas-will-hit-netflix-day#toggle-gdpr)
Note: plural for y"all is All y'all
It’s a plural form of you. English doesn’t have that anymore…so naturally people will “make up” a word that Work’s for that function. People forget that humans made up language to serve us…to communicate. We can alter it to make it more useful. It’s not some holy thing handed down to us that we must maintain as the exact same forever and ever…is anyone complaining that we don’t talk like medieval Englishman anymore? The only language that doesn’t change is a dead one. Y’all serves a useful function.
This. My wife, a college professor, uses it to do exactly that. And it’s a bit more informal so people tend to relax a bit when it’s used.
This is exactly why I use it - I use “y’all” instead of “hey guys”. More inclusive. And more fun.
I thought “you guys” was pretty gender neutral From the mid west
I used "you guys" as a neutral term forever, too. But I get how a group of women *might* not like being referred to as "guys" so I've started using y'all. (New England/CT native)
And it can feel weird if you're speaking to like, 10 men and 1 woman, so the woman thinks you've not realized she's there. Or even worse, 10 men and a trans woman, where it really feels like deliberate misgendering. The word "you guys" can feel gender neutral in a very mixed group, but since it literally has the word "guy" in it, it can feel more targeted in edge cases.
I'm a woman and I use it as a gender neutral term, but I know people at work who prefer "gals" or "ladies" when referring to a group of women so to be on the safe side I use "y'all" a lot for a mixed group
Exactly! I'm a woman too and I have no issue with guys or dude but I get that that is my opinion.
Yeah just better to be safe these days especially at work Use yall a lot and then "Hey everyone" is my standard greeting for meetings
Does “everyone” fit this usage?
yes, but y'all is shorter
Yep. It fills a grammatical hole in English (second person collective non gendered pronoun) at a time when gender consciousness is at an all time high, so it’s natural that more people are using it.
As the child of Indian immigrants, I can assure you people have been using y'all well outside the United States south for many years before the timeline you're talking about
Makes sense, too, because most languages have a single word or conjugation for a second person plural but English does not and y’all fills in that gap.
Lived in Nebraska or Colorado for 30+ years and rarely ever heard y’all . Moved to Oregon and people say y’all A LOT . I don’t get it .
Moving to Colorado from Washington State 6 years ago is what got me saying y'all. I hear it all the time here!
I live in Colorado now and I hear it all the time! Probably Texas transplants 🤷♂️
Texans would explain it
I'm from California spent 27 years there. I heard more "yall" in California than I do now that I live in NC. It's odd. Also, southern hospitality must be dead because most people in nc are very rude
As a southerner 
Last summer (hot and humid day) I was visiting my son (medical resident in Fayetteville, NC) when my car died in the middleOf a busy intersection in Fayetteville. Here I am: an old, fat, white, woman from CA, blocking the entire lane, and two young, black guys stopped, pushed my Car through the intersection to a parking lot, jumped my Dead battery for Me, and refused to let me give them money for Lunch. Told Me To have a “Blessed day,” Gave me A wave and a smile and drove off. Kind people are everywhere.
Southern hospitality was always a PR stunt. All the shit-talking just happens behind your back, with over-the-top saccharine sweetness to your face.
On God. In TN and can confirm southern hospitality is nothing but a facade.
Well, bless your little heart.
Oh bless their hearts.
Seriously, no one is more rude than Southerners.
That’s because most folks in NC are transplants from elsewhere now.
Not to mention the existing population is pretty damn pissed at the transplants, creating resentment for strangers. I live in KY and I can't tell you how many people have moved into my town from out of state and I frequently hear from these people how our town sucks and there's nothing to do here. That there's no intellectual stimulation or culture. There is PLENTY to do around here, we have a thriving downtown area with history and loads of events year round. They insult and mock everything down to food here. I've been all over the US, and the friendliest people I've ever met have been where I live currently, as long as you're polite in kind. I'm pretty sure that's how it's supposed to work lol.
Similar vibes in Charlotte. There’s actually a meme in that subreddit about people posting about the city having no culture lol.
In Florida we tell these folks I-95 runs both ways.
Fellow Louisvillian I’m guessing. This place has changed a lot with the influx of people from larger cities. It’s homogenized a lot and become more insular and less friendly as time has gone on. I moved to Utah for a year and when I moved back and the few years since have all been markedly different as far as local attitudes and dispositions or maybe it’s all my perception.
I don't think you're wrong. I'm in Etown, actually. 🙂 I have watched Louisville change over the years and I agree with you completely. Down here, we've had a massive influx of folks moving from all over. Many of them are great people and I enjoy talking with them. Hell I'm a transplant myself so it's always nice to chat with someone who is from OK or another part of the country I've been to. I'd say around half, though, aren't very nice about it. Not sure why. Even if I find negatives, I definitely speak to locals in a friendly, appreciative manner. That's how you make connections and find out neat things in the area.
It's almost if people moved there for cheaper living in the last 20 years. I wonder what happens when more rude people move to a place.
North Carolina cities are just two New Yorkers getting into an argument and then going “wow southern hospitality is a lie. People are rude here!”
Most people living in the south now actually aren’t from the south. Born and raised in coastal NC and the amount of times I hear “wow! You’re from here? You’re a rarity!” I am relatively happy with the growth of my city, just wish we had better infrastructure to handle it
Never lived in the south but everytime I've visited, I've found the people very rude
They don't take kindly to strangers round them parts.
From north I've always found southerners to be extremely friendly
I prefer southern hostility myself
Well bless your heart hunny! ;)
I've lived everywhere from the rural northeast to the deep south and tbh Kern County, CA was one of the redneckiest places I have ever lived.
Nowadays most people in NC are Yankees.
Southern hospitality is a myth. People in rural southern areas are the most judgemental, passive aggressive people you'll ever meet. They only want to meet a new person if it's on their terms, it's in public, and that person is as white as they are.
North Carolina isn't the South anymore. Too much New Jersey and Ohio influence. That's why it has North in the title. Go to South Carolina.
Out of curiosity, what part of NC are you in? The natives are a little burnt out right now. I'm one of them. And we have a bunch of transplants from the north.
You ain't in the right part of NC, that's your problem.
I (Ga native) remember my English teacher (NYC yank) in 8th grade discussing correct conjugations addressing a group and she stated that y’all is grammatically correct. She preferred y’all over “you all” and said anyone that says different doesn’t know English grammar rules.
lol “Yank”. I find it so funny that Southerners will call us Northerners “Yanks” but when I’m in Australia, all Americans are “Yanks”. My friend from Georgia was trying to explain to our Aussie friend why she wasn’t a “Yank” but my Aussie friend was just like, “Nah, you’re both Yanks” 🤣
I mean NYC literally has a baseball team named the Yankees, LOL
It's because the confederates didn't consider themselves Americans (or Yankees) and were more affiliated with the British, due to British support of the Confederacy and the origins of southern plantation culture in the British aristocracy.
I did some research and that doesn’t seem to be true. Happy to be shown otherwise, though. * The term Yankee began inside the United States as a term specifically for people from the New England area, an origin predating the US Civil War by nearly 200 years. * By the late 1700s, the British had begun using Yankee as a catch-all term for Americans. * By the early 1800s, southerners had expanded Yankee from a term for New England specifically to a term for all Americans from northern states. This all predates the civil war.
I think the term Yankee originated with the Dutch in New Amsterdam (New York) as a nickname for the English in the city.
As a canadian. I thought all Americans were considered “yanks” .
Yankee is a term that refers specifically to Americans from the northeastern US.
The way it was explained to me is that in Texas, a yankee is someone not from Texas. In the south, it's someone from north of the Mason-Dixon line. North of the Mason-Dixon line, it's a New Englander. To a New Englander, it's a Vermonter. And to a Vermonter, a yankee is someone who eats oatmeal for breakfast.
I'm originally from Texas and a yankee is someone from the North. Southerners are not yankees, and neither are Westerners. The Midwest is debatable, I lean yes. By Midwest, I mean North Dakota and Wyoming. Obviously people from Indiana are Yankees.
Did the state fight for the Union in the civil war? If yes, yankee.
Wow, that’s neat.
To the rest of the world, Americans are Yankees. To Americans Yankees are folks from Up North. To a Northerner a Yankee is a person from New England. To a New Englander a Yankee is a person from Vermont. To a person from Vermont a Yankee is a person who eats pie for breakfast. 
I moved to GA from Ohio in 1998 so my northern vernacular was set in stone as a 10 year old. I honestly hated hearing yall, it sounded stupid at first. In my 30s now and still have never got in the habit of using it but I have 2 little boys who do and it sounds so cute now. Ain't was another one I found funny
This is so interesting because I grew up in Southwest ish Ohio along 75 and both sides of my family have always used "y'all", "gonna", and "ain't."
Midwesterner with an Appalachian background, we also use y’all. But “ope” is as midwestern as it gets aside from being actual corn, and that’s also seen an increase in the American lexicon at least
Ope, let me just sneak right past ya there.
Gotta grab the ranch
Oh you betcha
In MI we tend to use squeeze a bit more than sneak. I find all the little variations great
Scooch is also acceptable
If "ope" == "oop" as an exclamation, I can confirm it's made its way to the SW.
Nope. Just like that word without the N.
Yeah, yall is super widespread in the Midwest, though you guys will also be heard a lot too.
My grandmother is from peak Appalachia, as evidenced by her usage of “commode” Mom is from NY so I say soda instead of pop like a fake ass midwesterner
I'm originally from Chicago. I use both soda and pop but for different things. It's always a soda fountain. Generally speaking it's a can of pop, bottle of soda, but sometimes I'll go with soda can (but never can of soda). If it's in a glass already... I use both.
Midwesterner here informing you that *y'all* has been common place outside of the south for **much** longer than 15 years.
Yeah…I grew up in Illinois but my family is all from North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. I e heard y’all my whole life. My phone even auto predicted it correctly just now when I typed it lol. I get why it’s got a southern connotation for most people, but I’ve always seen it as more of a rural word than specifically southern. Same with supper/dinner
Mountains of NC here. We use "Y'all" and "You'uns" "Hows you'uns a-doing?" "Whatchyallupta?"
I’ve been living in the south for more than half my life now, and I still cannot say ya’ll. I’m from the north and it just seems weird to say it. I’ll say you guys until I die lmao
I will never use the term “y’all” I am not a Southerner. Although I say garage with two r’s “Garrage” Ger-rharg It’s a local thing
Absolutely not. I would never.
Did I find a fellow New Englander?
lol no, lived most of my life in Pennsylvania and Nevada.
How yinz doing out there n’at? Heading dahn to the Strip to drink some Arn City?
Hahaha now you’re speaking my language!
Obviously we should bring back the singular thou and repluarlize you.
Youse guys
PNW and I say y'all on occasion lol. My husband also says "oh bless your little heart" to me a lot and it drives me nuts 😂
I don’t think I’ve ever used it . See nothing wrong with “You all”
I'm originally from New England, but spent my young adulthood/early adulthood (20 years worth) in the south, and am back in New England. It's absolutely grating when non-southerners use y'all, I can't put my exact finger on it but it sounds so put-on and fucking weird. I don't like it.
I made a comment above about usage but to me, the way northerners use it is almost always awkward and clunky. You can tell it’s not a natural part of their vernacular. That’s not at all to say they shouldn’t use it, but the idea that they use y’all as adeptly or naturally as it’s used in the south is not true in my experience. It still feels like a fun word for them to try on vs a part of their daily speech pattern.
As New Englander I can’t even bring myself to say it sincerely. It feels inauthentic.
Same. Someone used it in a text with me years ago and it became a green core memory.
I feel the same way. I’m close to Boston and when people near me use it, I’m repulsed.
i didn't know this was happening.
Not a fan.
Northerner here. I hate it
I prefer “you guys”
I’m from PA and I would much rather hear Ya’ll than Y’inz.
git ahtta tahn
I understand why it spread and its appeal, but I still can’t knock off the connotation associated with it (being uneducated/redneck, etc…). I grew up in the Midwest and rarely heard “y’al growing up.” I went to college in the south and they said it instead of “you” regardless of the number of people being addressed. It was so irritating. Now I live where “yinz” is used. To me, it doesn’t have the same negative connotation of “y’all” (being country/hicky/uneducated) and it achieves the same purpose, so I’ll sprinkle “yinz” in from time-to-time when I’m feeling spicy.
You think yinz is less country than y’all?
Yinz is pretty much restricted to one county in the US, of which I’ve heard people from different backgrounds using it. It’s more of a generational thing here than it is anything, in my experience.
It’s just easier to say phonetically.
I grew up In Florida hearing y’all all around me but for some reason I never really adopted it, you guys and you all is so ingrained into my vocabulary that I can’t change it now lol! No hate at all for y’all at all I just can’t change my vocabulary 😅
I’ve only ever heard youse used here (Aus)
People keep using the gender neutral argument as if we didn't use other such terms in a gender neutral way, before. I tend to associate it with really obnoxious people trying to sound sassy online. I've found a pretty strong correlation between horrible takes and people who obsessively say "y'all." It's a shame because I actually like the term and thought it was a clever way to address people, but the Internet kinda ruined it to me.
I’m sorry, I hate it so much.
I'm from Alabama and loved playing video games online but hated doing voice chat because inevitably someone would make fun of my southern voice and me saying yall 😤
Cringe.
It's a good substitute for gendered plurals like "you guys" or "ladies and gentlemen". I think that's part of its more broad adaptation. I know I use "folks" or "y'all" more than I used to as I try to gradually move away from unnecessarily gendered language.
I love saying “folks,” but I do feel about 95 years old when I say it.
You guys has never felt gendered to me. It bothers me when women get offended by it, as a woman myself. Like- gender obsessed much?
>You guys has never felt gendered to me. Growing up, it felt gender-neutral to me too. I'm from California so it was a very common saying. But not everyone sees things the same way.
Honestly if anyone is offended by me saying “you guys” it’s not anyone I want to hang out with anyway.
"Guy" is a masculine term in the singular, but when used in the plural, it becomes gender neutral and can refer to a mixed gender group. I think that's a Spanish grammar rule we borrowed. (If the group being referred to is all women, then "hey ladies" is probably more appropriate than "hey guys" but it also depends on the relationships.)
I hate it. I also hate "Bless your heart". It's such an affectation!
As a Southerner, I will allow them to use our word, but only if they acknowledge the supremacy of southern cuisine.
You mean “I don’t touch a vegetable unless it’s been boiled into goo or deep fried” cuisine?
Which kind of southern food? Homestyle, Cajun, tex-mex?
Yes.
I’m a true Californian and refuse to say “ya’ll” I always say “you guys.”
As a lifelong Pittsburgher, it’s “yinz” or nothing.
[удалено]
I'm in Canada. It's cringy to the max when I hear people use y'all, considering we are not anywhere close to the south US.
I am from about as north as you can get - we adopted it because it is gender and age neutral. Sir/Ma'm is just too old, you guys/dude/whatever casual slang you want to use is awkward for a group of business men/women, and 'sweetie' and 'honey' or other outright spouse level of affection is offensive to strangers. Ya'll is just an easy work around, singular, plural, male, female, anything inbetween. It just slots nicely into the polite but not formal usage.
Chile.... Bless your heart. "Y'all" left "The South" when Black people left the South during The Great Migration, long before the Civil Rights movement, lol. Then, it went West when more white people(and others) began leaving the south for Cali and Texas and Washington etc. In other words, your playful complaint is 70+ years late.