Second person plural pronoun

[Desdichado]

Not in my section of southern paradise.

Y'all is not limited to the south, although it is usually a lower prestige grammatical formation, and you won't hear it too much in the halls of academia or anything like that. It's pretty common everywhere rural, and is as much western as southern.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That's because it's a group. What do people think of when you say everyone to a group of people? That it includes all of them.

Indeed. It’s the same as using the name of the group. You put everyone in a group called “everyone” and there is only one group, so it is singular.

Another thing I might say, informally, is “hello people”, more informal: “Hello peeps”.

 

[Parmandur]

“Y’all” used to sound almost comically southern to me, but has grown more and more neutral to my ears, seemingly in direct correlation with “you guys” falling out of favor. Not only did the former used to be my default, but it was what I was most used to hearing from other people. Now I hear it only very rarely, and I hear “y’all” almost as often as I used to hear “you guys.” And I’m from Colorado, which is generally considered to be the reference point for a neutral American dialect.

That matches my California Millenial transplant in the Midwest experience as well.

 

[Parmandur]

For the possessive form, which would you all go with?

• your all seats at the table
• your all's seats at the table
• you all's seats at the table

Y'all's in regular spech. Your in formal writing or address (for the record, I have a Bachelors on English Language & Literature, and actually read the style guides, so that is "proper English" as opposed to the way contemporary people are speaking).

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

Youns (yoo-ens).

Yourselves.

 

[payn]

Youns (yoo-ens).

Yourselves.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

Nope. I said youns.

 

[haakon1]

The second person plural in formal English is “you”.

If the question is informal English, it of course varies with the vernacular in question, which varies by country, region, class (something Americans pretend doesn’t exist), and race.

I agree “y’all” is not only in the South, though it was never used except in AAVE where I grew up (northeast US).

In addition to varying regional vernaculars, there’s a whole Dixification that’s been going on since at least the 1970’s. Yee-haw!

 

[SteveC]

• your all seats at the table
• your all's seats at the table
• you all's seats at the table

All your seats at the table.

 

[Fifth Element]

"All y'all" is redundant and too colloquial.

All y'all tends to be used for emphasis, such as when you're a tad upset and wish to emphasize your displeasure with everyone present: "Bleep ALL y'all!'