Date:  Sun, 8 May 1994 11:18:00 CDT

From:  Beth Lee Simon <BLSIMON[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MACC.WISC.EDU>

Subject: Re: y'all



I think I posted some anecdotal material on y'all around the 2nd week

in March. I had been at a conference with some people from Texas, both

nTX (Denton, Univ. N TX) and San Antonio (small colleges). The nTX

folks said that they used y'all as a singular, while the San Antonio

people refused to accept it. I've recently heard from one of the nTX

people, a friend who offered me this instance.

    My friend was sitting alone in the back seat of a car. In the front

seat was the driver and another passenger. The driver asked, "Y'all

comfortable?" My friend said, "I'm fine, thanks." Then, because I had

asked him about this earlier, he said, "Paul, were you asking me, or

both me and Laurie." Paul said "Only you of course." And Laurie, the

front seat passenger, said she too had taken the question as directed

only at the back seat.

    Of course, the question of comfort and sitting in a back seat

helps to narrow down who should answer.



    Re pl y'all: both north Texans and San Antonio Texans used

"All y'all" for plural, but the San Antonio people see it as an

emphatic, or as an inclusive.



beth

DARE