Author Topic: The Southern Gentlemen  (Read 8261 times)

buffcoat

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 6213
The Southern Gentlemen
« on: June 01, 2011, 06:47:22 PM »
I imagine they were something like this:


PT 1 The Three Stooges In Uncivil War Birds

I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

Jason from Huntsville, AL

  • Achilles Tendon Bursitis
  • Posts: 513
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2011, 08:43:08 AM »
By less than a minute in, they had already committed that linguistic mortal sin which is a tell-tale sign of a fake Southerner: Using "y'all" to refer to one person. "Y'all" is plural, y'all.

I expected nothing better out of that lot.
"A Man Can Make a Dog Break Its Gaze." - Tom

yesno

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 3426
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2011, 09:26:36 AM »
I thought the plural form was "all y'all."

Jason from Huntsville, AL

  • Achilles Tendon Bursitis
  • Posts: 513
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2011, 10:52:37 AM »
I thought the plural form was "all y'all."

"All y'all" is a super plural, referring to more than one group of people.
"A Man Can Make a Dog Break Its Gaze." - Tom

yesno

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 3426
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2011, 11:20:27 AM »

buffcoat

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 6213
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2011, 03:23:20 PM »
You are all correct, and I should know: I served as linguistic consultant to John Schneider and Denver Pyle on the Dukes of Hazzard from 1979-1981 and 1983-1985.

Help Coy and Vance?  GOOD DAY, SIR!
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

Jason from Huntsville, AL

  • Achilles Tendon Bursitis
  • Posts: 513
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2011, 06:46:04 PM »
Analysis:

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2009

Interesting reading.

I can personally attest that the only time I've heard anyone use "y'all" in a singular sense is someone on TV pretending to be Southern. I have never heard this in the wild in its natural habitat (my mouth being part of that habitat.)
"A Man Can Make a Dog Break Its Gaze." - Tom

yesno

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 3426
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2011, 07:56:41 PM »
I think the "implied plural" notion accounts for the instances I may have heard from youse Southerners.

Maybe the same weird forces that made "you" singular in the first place will do their work on "y'all." 

Further discussion of this latter point at the bottom of this page: http://etymonline.com/columns/do-be-thee.htm

dave from knoxville

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 5108
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2011, 08:16:02 PM »
Analysis:

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2009

Interesting reading.

I can personally attest that the only time I've heard anyone use "y'all" in a singular sense is someone on TV pretending to be Southern. I have never heard this in the wild in its natural habitat (my mouth being part of that habitat.)

I have to admit, "hey ya'll"'s been a standard greeting in my workaday vocabulary since I was a boy.

Boogdish

  • Achilles bursitis
  • Posts: 138
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2011, 02:41:35 PM »
I was born in Alabama and raised Texas, and I've always heard "y'all" used as second person plural.  I think it's interested how English doesn't really have a standard for the second person plural and different regions have made up their own words for it, "ya'll" in the south, "yinz" in western PA, "youse" in the east.  I'd be interested in hearing what the other English speaking regions of the globe use for this like in Australia, England, South Africa, etc.
If you're not a job creator, you better step the fuck away from that hot dog machine.

cavorting with nudists

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 1883
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2011, 08:15:02 PM »
In England, there's "you lot," right?
"Another thing that interests me about The Eagles is that I hate them." -- Robert Christgau

Sarah

  • Guest
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2011, 08:25:46 PM »
In Lubec, people say "you" and count on context.

buffcoat

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 6213
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2011, 08:39:28 PM »
In Lubec, people say "you" and count on context.

Then murder each other in the Clamfields.













Too soon?
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

fonpr

  • Space Champion!
  • Posts: 4099
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2011, 08:49:53 PM »
Dave,

Perhaps the script should be written right here>

After the RateMyProf submissions.  It seems fool-proof.

Three itinerant "hobos" (they work) meet on the caboose of the Alabama Comet heading towards New Jersey...
"Like it or not, Florida seems dedicated to a 'live fast, die' way of doing things."

Sarah

  • Guest
Re: The Southern Gentlemen
« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2011, 12:24:43 AM »
In Lubec, people say "you" and count on context.

Then murder each other in the Clamfields.













Too soon?

Hey, that was never proven.