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Subject:Re: "Y'all" usage at MIT From:Vicki Rosenzweig <murphy!acmcr!vr -at- UUNET -dot- UU -dot- NET> Date:Mon, 24 Oct 1994 11:29:08 EDT
I've heard "y'all" used as the singular. My guess would be that,
since "standard" English uses "you" for both singular and plural,
people are predisposed to confuse the two, and may have come to
think that "y'all" is southern for "you" in all senses, rather
than being a distinct plural (something the language could use,
but doesn't seem to be getting).
It also occurs to me that "the South" is a fairly large area,
and what is current in Virginia may not be what is current in
Mississippi or Texas.
Vicki Rosenzweig
vr%acmcr -dot- uucp -at- murphy -dot- com
New York, NY
