Date:  Fri, 20 Oct 1995 07:42:45 EST

From:  Beth Lee Simon <simon[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CVAX.IPFW.INDIANA.EDU>

Subject: Re: y'all, singular usage?



This form of singular is common in nTX (say, Denton area) and my

Texas colleagues here tell me it's common elsewhere. What I've found,

and others have substantiated, at least for TX, is that usage depends

on the situation. You might turn to your companion in the front seat

and ask if "ya'll want to get a pizza". At a service station, the attendant

might ask you if "ya'll want that filled?" When the highway patrol officer

pulls you over, however, s/he asks "Would you step out of the car, please?"

Never "ya'll". (I've been told about the last, can't speak for that

personally.)



The plural, then, is "all ya'll".



Let me modify the TX label. My San Antonio friends say that "ya'll

" is always plural there.



And, finally, all of the above is based on experience/anecdote, not on

organized fieldwork/data collection.



beth simon