Second person plural pronoun

[Charlaquin]

Interesting. I’ve never heard of all y’all. At least in my area it doesn’t exist, other than as someone trying to mock southern speech.

While “y’all” has spread to most of the US, “all y’all” seems to have taken its place as the distinctly Southern second-person plural.

 

[SteveC]

This is in my bailiwick but the thing I am wondering is why you'd need to do this. Perhaps you could give an example of what you'd want to convey with this. Honestly, I wouldn't use any of those options. I'd be glad to help but I'd say that you can be used both in the singular and plural sense and it's usually clear how you're using it. If I may channel a little Joe Versus the Volcano, it's very exciting, as a grammar problem. Can you give an example of what you want to do?

 

[FrogReaver]

While “y’all” has spread to most of the US, “all y’all” seems to have taken its place as the distinctly Southern second-person plural.

Maybe in some regions. It’s certainly not that way across the whole south.

 

[Charlaquin]

Maybe in some regions. It’s certainly not that way across the whole south.

Well, let me rephrase. It has taken the place of “y’all” as the second-person plural that sounds distinctly Southern, to a non-Southerner.

 

[DEFCON 1]

All your seats at the table, or all of your seats at the table if you want to be especially formal.

Agree with Charlaquin here. They have the right of it for the possessive.

 

[FrogReaver]

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

I’d go with the third.

If one was talking to a family one might say y’all’s house is on fire. Though a simple your house is on fire might also work.

 

[el-remmen]

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 tableall your

“Your seats at the table” works for singular or plural. No need for “all” at all.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Maybe in some regions. It’s certainly not that way across the whole south.

I think it's definitely a sub-regional thing. Probably a deferential shift, like the one that killed ye. You don't hear it in the Mountain South, because mountainfolk don't give deference.

 

[Charlaquin]

“Your seats at the table” works for singular or plural. No need for “all” at all.

That also works, yeah.

 

[Desdichado]

I can't say it's a "formal" context, but for me when I refer to second-person plural, I usually use 'y'all'. One word, a contraction of 'you all', understood by pretty much all Americans. But it is exceedingly informal.

To be clear, y'all is for a small group; otherwise, the correct grammatical formulation is "all y'all."