Well, Thomas, not everyone will verbalize what they think, but they can be definitely "thinking" something.
Actually, I have to go back on what I said about here in Colorado. There is a female lead singer of a rock/country band, who was born/raised here in Colorado and she says "ya'll". Was just on her, and her bands, Facebook page and, sure enough, she said it there. And, we've never heard it when in Las Vegas during their big rodeo.
Well, ya’ll hold on to your soda pops, grab your sneakers and your hoagies because there’s more….. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/articl...and-10-other-maps-showing-where-americans-say
i am a ya'll kinda gal! it cuts to the chase....instead ...of youz guys...or you all...includes both genders too!
My German teacher liked y’all and thought it should be formally adopted in English to distinguish between the singular and plural of “you”. Makes sense to me.
No, no, "y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is plural. Now, when you come to "we'uns" versus "us'uns", it's regional. And there's "'n them", as in "Aunt Bee 'n them are coming for Christmas dinner." Definitely plural, 'specially since Aunt Bee doesn't drive anymore and hates to take the bus 'cause there's so many people with...well, y'know....tattoos riding along. What drives me crazy is when someone says "I done that" instead of "I did that". Every time somebody says that, I hear the whirring of Mrs. Jay, my 9th grade English teacher turning in her grave. It's getting louderrrrrr.....
I grew up in the southern UP of Michigan, and terms that I used/pronounced as a child were: pop You guys submarine sandwich car-ml yard sale (I didn't know anyone with a garage) tennis shoes (although I didn't know anyone who played tennis) kitty-corner or diagonal drinking fountain (although I've heard people call it a bubbler) supper (dinner was a noon meal) highway (no drive-through liquor stores, and I wouldn't be allowed to talk about them if there were) As for y'all, I think I started using that in California, but it was more of a joke phrase, like "groovy" or "far out" - not a part of my regular vocabulary. I've gotten out of the habit of using the word "pop" to refer to a soft drink, not because anyone teased or made fun of me for using it, but because people in California legitimately didn't know what I was talking about if I referred to it as pop. I've never really gotten used to calling it a soft drink either, and it seemed kind of dumb to ask for a coke when I wanted a root beer, so I just referred to whatever it was that I actually wanted. "Give me a root beer." "We don't have root beer." "Okay, what do you have?"
People say "ya'll" when talking to one person or many, but, like I've already stated, we seldom hear, except in certain states. Then again, there are certain states where folks dislike hearing it. Thing is, for all of the years I lived in So California, the only person I heard talking with a southern "Okie" (Oklahoma) accent, was that friend. And, she never said "ya'll". Seems like folks from southern states don't move to So California. And, from what I can tell, they don't move to Indiana or New York. Doesn't New York, Boston and New Jersey have their own accents...........that would probably drive folks in Los Angeles nuts.
My family spent some time in Indiana when we were young, and moved to Virginia when 3 siblings were still in high school. When they would go back to Indiana to visit friends, they took the newly-acquired "Y'all" with them, and had to explain that they meant "you" in its plural sense. That being said, I've never heard of a state where "y'all" is hated. How the heck would one even know such a thing?
My Pennsylvania relatives always called it "pop," and it never made any sense to me. Exactly what the heck do you want? Do they go into a restaurant and order "food"? Perhaps in Pennsylvania a family of 4 goes in, they each order "food," and dad is served a steak, mom gets chicken and the kids are served burgers & fries.
In Louisville, it's always a "Coke". Waitress: "And what would you like to drink?" Diner: "A Coke, please." Waitress: "What kind?" Diner: "Root beer."
Well, there are some people who believe if they hate something, *everyone* should hate it, too. And the more they think about it, the more they are convinced that everyone does.