Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word y'all. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word y'all, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say y'all in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word y'all you have here. The definition of the word y'all will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofy'all, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Compare Dutchjullie (originally jijlui(literally “you people”)) for a similar development of a new plural pronoun out of Proto-Germanic *jīz that originally was already plural.
1987, Judson D. Hale, The education of a Yankee: an American memoir, page 3:
Much later, after dozens of the men had come up to me to shake my hand (with both of theirs) and say "Y'all come back soon, hear? ...
2007, Roy Blount, Long time leaving: dispatches from up South, page 117:
People in the South do indeed seem to be addressing a single person as "y'all." For instance, a restaurant patron might ask a waiter, "What y'all got for dessert tonight?" In that case, "y'all" refers collectively to the people who run the restaurant.
Usage notes
The form y'all is heard primarily in the Southern United States, and nationwide in AAVE. It is also found among Indian speakers of South African English, and parts of the Carribean. Recently, the form has begun to be used by other American English speakers, as well, and even non-American English speakers to a lesser extent, though still less commonly than you guys. For other second-personal plural pronouns, see you.
In the past, y'all was never used as a proper singular, but it may have been used with an implied plural, e.g. "you ," "you ," "you ." Due to a cultural shift in the United States by non-Southerners using the word, it is now rarely also used as a singular you, although most (increasing) non-Southern / non-AAVE use is, like Southern and AAVE use, plural.
Notwithstanding its etymology, the all in y'all is merely a plural marker, not a quantifier. Thus, just as us may refer either to some of us or all of us in standard English, y'all may refer either to some of y'all or to all y'all.
Y'all may not be considered informal speech, but is also not considered formal -- You all would, to a few, be considered more formal, but is not required in formal situations nor is it encouraged.
1971, Frank Deford, There she is: the life and times of Miss America:
She blithely maintained that she could have smiled magnolias and "y'alled" her way out of any tight spots.
1990, Paul Levy, Finger lickin' good: a Kentucky childhood:
With his swarthy complexion and jet black, straight hair, Louis was actually quite dashing. He wore his expensively cut clothes and heavy rings well, too. Besides his short stature, his most noticeable peculiarity was that he had a voice like Lytton Strachey's, which moved alarmingly, in the middle of a sentence, or sometimes halfway through a word, from a booming bass to the high-pitched, almost whistling soprano of a boy whose voice has not yet broken. As he y'alled and drawled ...
1997, Terence Sieg, Golf travel's guide to the world's greatest golf destinations: the ultimate resource for the discriminating golfer:
Indeed, non-Southerners may feel themselves "y'alled" to death down here, yet even the most stony- faced New Englander will be charmed by the warmth of the Cloister's staff. The tradition of service is simply better and more deeply entrenched in the South than in any other region of the United States.
