There are 12 replies in this Thread which was already clicked 263 times. The last Post () by daniel.

Y’all: the perfect pronoun?

    Variously described as “the quintessential Southern pronoun,” “redneck slang,” and everything in between, the second person plural pronoun is largely considered to be a creation of the US Southern states.


    But wait! Could it be an export from the British Isles?


    The Origins of 'Y'All' May Not Be in the American South
    Now surging in popularity, the iconic pronoun was first used on the other side of the Atlantic in the 17th century.
    www.atlasobscura.com

    Quote from Rice

    Variously described as “the quintessential Southern pronoun,” “redneck slang,” and everything in between, the second person plural pronoun is largely considered to be a creation of the US Southern states.


    But wait! Could it be an export from the British Isles?


    https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/yall-southern-pronoun

    Hate you guys, love Y'all, because it seems very friendly. and inclusive (not in a gender way, really as that word has now become)

    I'm watching Justified at the moment and it's set in Kentucky with some good ol' boys, moonshine and y'all is used dozens of times in one conversation.

    Not exactly deep south, but it feels like it sometimes.

    Could be. Forgive my calling you colonials migrants but I'm sure you know what I mean and that I say it with affection but: many migrant communities travel with the language and the culture of their homeland and then when they settle those things become frozen in time. That's why, though I may joke about the two nations separated by a common language trope, I credit the USA with an "Authentic" English language and pronunciation which can trace its roots back to the early settler days.


    Let me give you an example: The Child Ballads are perhaps a quintessential collection of traditional English folk song and they have been sung by folk song revivalists since folk song revival first began. Mostly by native English folk revivalists I should add. But the versions of some of the Child Ballads that have really blown me over are those sung by Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer  (Here) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Ballads_(album)


    For me, listening to those voices is like travelling back in time. I think they are marvellous!

    Question for our UK members:


    My Scottish landlady in Oxford used to feed her children supper in the kitchen before she and her husband had a more elaborate meal in the dining room. The children’s food was anything but fancy; on the contrary, the fare was usually sausages and beans. She explained that this simple evening meal, not a high-falutin’ posh afternoon ritual, was called High Tea. The Ritz’s posh spread with scones, clotted cream, and beautiful pastries was called Afternoon Tea. The simple cup of tea with a biscuit or two, at home or a tea shop, was simply called Tea.


    So I thought I was straight on tea nomenclature. But this article refers to the posh hotel spreads as High Tea, the complete opposite of the simple supper I’d thought that was.


    What do you understand as the difference between Afternoon Tea and High Tea?

    I don't think either of those exist anymore, but people generally ask "What's for tea?" when they really mean dinner which is usually taken at about 7.30 pm.