<![CDATA[Hey linguistic dorks:]]>Hey linguistic dorks:

So, I grew up in Texas where "y'all" was normal, though not always used when outside the US South. In the last 10-20 years, it seems like it's become normal. Like I see Canadians using it. But it occurred to me that I *actually* only see it used online. I had the impression that Y'all basically won the Second Person Plural wars via the popularity of AAVE, but perhaps it's more of an online slang usage?

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/topic/4ae1bf94-8ce8-446d-a802-1e40d0a95094/hey-linguistic-dorksRSS for NodeFri, 24 Apr 2026 21:00:40 GMTFri, 24 Apr 2026 13:47:21 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:58:20 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith I always thought it was a southern US thing, but in the last year I've heard it so much in Utah, Wyoming, and Oregon. I recently brought it to the attention of my husband and some friends.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.social/users/freyjfreyj/statuses/116460742248828579https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.social/users/freyjfreyj/statuses/116460742248828579Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:58:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:53:40 GMT]]>@WizardOfDocs @brooke @ZachWeinersmith Has to be disruptive to a local dialect.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://fediscience.org/users/locha/statuses/116460723955293785https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://fediscience.org/users/locha/statuses/116460723955293785Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:53:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:53:12 GMT]]>@WizardOfDocs @brooke @ZachWeinersmith Now that I think about it, the local themselves were being gentrified out to the outskirts, and replaced by large populations of students and tech workers (it was during the peak of the foreign students boom)

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://fediscience.org/users/locha/statuses/116460722109571424https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://fediscience.org/users/locha/statuses/116460722109571424Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:53:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:42:01 GMT]]>@aadeacon @mayintoronto @ZachWeinersmith this! I use folks pretty much all the time as y'all feels odd (I'm british)

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.me.uk/users/phlash/statuses/116460678105360758https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.me.uk/users/phlash/statuses/116460678105360758Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:42:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:41:53 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith I studied in Liverpool where "yous" is also pretty common. Also looked down on, though.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/bracken/statuses/116460677591868047https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/bracken/statuses/116460677591868047Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:41:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:35:01 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith I'm native WA and have been using it for as long as I can remember.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.social/users/crazyeddie/statuses/116460650590330971https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.social/users/crazyeddie/statuses/116460650590330971Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:35:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:25:56 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith

The real rural south deep cut is "you'ins".

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://tiny.tilde.website/users/grendel84/statuses/116460614865521772https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://tiny.tilde.website/users/grendel84/statuses/116460614865521772Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:25:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:15:12 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith I refuse to use it, neither online nor in person.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/crankyoldbugger/statuses/116460572673970090https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/crankyoldbugger/statuses/116460572673970090Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:15:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:12:10 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith
Ya'll is verbalized in Alberta, sadly. Relatively recent, maybe 10--15 yr.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mstdn.ca/users/NMBA/statuses/116460560756618620https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mstdn.ca/users/NMBA/statuses/116460560756618620Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:12:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:11:33 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith a fellow British friend who moved over the Philly now says 'y'all' a lot in texts. I dread to think how that sounds in real life...

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.social/users/Lazarou/statuses/116460558324746042https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.social/users/Lazarou/statuses/116460558324746042Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:11:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:07:59 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith I stopped using y'all in speech when I moved from Texas to California, and I was particularly careful not to use it with people whose native language wasn't English.

I'm using it online now and then. It's still unusual for me to use it in speech.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://techhub.social/users/rayckeith/statuses/116460544325227338https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://techhub.social/users/rayckeith/statuses/116460544325227338Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:07:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:07:46 GMT]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://friendface.kalum.ca/.well-known/apgateway/did:key:z6MkoAMnCChBGqCVNYNYtFyHWKLiYcXCUCxDVo9S8ayvwmhR/item/a6bb46c0-9373-4dd4-b8ca-6370597e5ea1https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://friendface.kalum.ca/.well-known/apgateway/did:key:z6MkoAMnCChBGqCVNYNYtFyHWKLiYcXCUCxDVo9S8ayvwmhR/item/a6bb46c0-9373-4dd4-b8ca-6370597e5ea1Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:07:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:05:11 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith I'm surprised you're not surrounded by people who use it as the second person plural there. It's about 50/50 near Richmond and the proportion goes up the further away from the city or closer to Varina you get

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://functional.cafe/users/trebach/statuses/116460533308419624https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://functional.cafe/users/trebach/statuses/116460533308419624Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:05:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:04:36 GMT]]>@WizardOfDocs @ZachWeinersmith One, I guess? More YALN-z, not YAL-unz. But, this feels prescriptivist; I could condone regional differences in pronunciation.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/cort/statuses/116460530982548138https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/cort/statuses/116460530982548138Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:04:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:04:29 GMT]]>Catelli I say it in real life, but only ironically. I use it unironically online. All y’all on the interwebs do be lovin’ quirky wordsing, and I’all be one o’y’all on the interwebs.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/579https://wanderingadventure.party/post/579Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:04:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:58:26 GMT]]>@catmisgivings @WizardOfDocs @ZachWeinersmith

I clicked the little star for the thoughtfulness and nuance of this response even as I recoiled, thinking NO DON'T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME I NEED SOMETHING

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mas.to/users/stevegis_ssg/statuses/116460506718918729https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mas.to/users/stevegis_ssg/statuses/116460506718918729Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:58:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:58:21 GMT]]>@cort @ZachWeinersmith one syllable or two?

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://wandering.shop/users/WizardOfDocs/statuses/116460506389768395https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://wandering.shop/users/WizardOfDocs/statuses/116460506389768395Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:58:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:42:25 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith

I am fond of "youse". Most likely from Irish immigrants to US.

Having an audible 2nd person plural makes for clarity.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mstdn.ca/users/maggiemartin/statuses/116460443759659714https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mstdn.ca/users/maggiemartin/statuses/116460443759659714Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:42:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:41:02 GMT]]>@WizardOfDocs @ZachWeinersmith Fellow Pittsburgh-for-colleger here; I decided to embrace the spirit of the Great American Melting Pot, and have spent the last two decades on a one-man campaign to make "y'allnz" happen.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/cort/statuses/116460438322533880https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/cort/statuses/116460438322533880Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:41:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:32:24 GMT]]>@ZachWeinersmith I'm in New Zealand and I use "y'all" reasonably often. I'd say that's more me being weird than a common thing though.

I blame Applejack.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.social/users/MadCowKastor/statuses/116460404398148303https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mastodon.social/users/MadCowKastor/statuses/116460404398148303Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:32:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:31:43 GMT]]>@labria @ZachWeinersmith I know. God was the last one to be called onto in singular (KJV) iirc.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://toot.berlin/users/krono/statuses/116460401670785403https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://toot.berlin/users/krono/statuses/116460401670785403Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:31:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:30:02 GMT]]>@stevegis_ssg @WizardOfDocs @ZachWeinersmith "folks" is loaded for me because historically, fascist nationalist projects co-opted folklore and made it weird! In addition to ... folk tradition just continuing anyway and being cool and often explicitly opposed to that sort of thing! And I don't necessarily want to stop and think about it every time I address three or more people, because I so totally would, so I usually just pick something else

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://stranger.social/users/catmisgivings/statuses/116460395068569615https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://stranger.social/users/catmisgivings/statuses/116460395068569615Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:30:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:19:47 GMT]]>@locha @brooke @ZachWeinersmith that's a shame. When I was there in the early teens, there were quite a few linguists studying the local dialect.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://wandering.shop/users/WizardOfDocs/statuses/116460354768582512https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://wandering.shop/users/WizardOfDocs/statuses/116460354768582512Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:19:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hey linguistic dorks: on Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:17:00 GMT]]>@WizardOfDocs @catmisgivings @ZachWeinersmith

I am forcing myself to stop using the "gender-neutral guys" but it's hard. Mostly because it was my default email greeting for multiple people. "Hey folks" is doing okay but there's something indefinable that I like a little less about it, but that's less important than not making people feel excluded.

]]>https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mas.to/users/stevegis_ssg/statuses/116460343810398544https://wanderingadventure.party/post/https://mas.to/users/stevegis_ssg/statuses/116460343810398544Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:17:00 GMT