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The Secret History of “Y’all”: The Murky Origins of a Legendary Southern Slang Word

The phrase "y'all" might not simply be the shortened form of "you all" — but something far more complex

Cameron Hunt McNabb | August 30, 2015

As I jumped across the pond for a few weeks, back in my grad school days, I wanted to at least try to assimilate. Step one was toning down my Americanisms and in particular my Southern accent. I had phased out “ain’t” while teased during my college years in the North, and I could easily swap out my “ATM” for “cash point” and “to go” for “take away.” But one thing couldn’t be distilled out of my vocabulary: “y’all.”

For all those new Texans out there that don’t know how to use y’all correctly, here’s your guide. Source: http://yestotexas.com/the-texas-guide-to-using-yall/

So ingrained was the word in my lexicon that I didn’t even notice when I said it. It flew under my linguistic radar, and it blew my cover completely. Not only was I American, I was a Southern American. Busted.

<more at http://www.salon.com/2015/08/30/the_secret_history_of_yall_the_murky_origins_of_a_legendary_southern_slang_word/; related links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%27all (Y'all) and http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2014/10/03/y_all_to_just_one_person_exaggerated_southern_english.html (Can "Y'all" Mean Just One Person? October 3, 2014)>