Date:  Fri, 20 Oct 1995 10:45:10 EDT

From:  Larry Horn <LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU>

Subject: Re: y'all are crazy



I was wondering the same thing, and in particular whether the policeman would

have asked "Would y'all step out of the car" if he WERE addressing more than

one occupant. (Or, if that context appears unlikely, if he stopped a couple

of folks on the street and asked them "Do y'all have some ID?" or whatever.)

If _y'all_ is used in such cases, it appears that it is indeed a socioling.

variable. But notice that it's just in those contexts where, say, a French

speaker uses the historic plural for 2d person sg., i.e. in formal rather than

friendly exchanges, that the policeman avoids the historic plural. In the

terms of the Goffman-Brown-Levinson tradition, _yall_ seems to involve

positive face (or what Robin Lakoff called Rule 3 politeness: "Be friendly")

while _vous_ et al. invoke negative face (Lakoff's Rule 1 politeness,

Deference). I suppose I should make sure the descriptive generalization is

accurate before leaping off to conclusions, though.



Larry

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

It may appear at times

> that "y'all" is being used in the singular, but I assure you that is not

> the case. I liked Tom Wharriet's explanation of the implied plural

> meaning "you and yours." I think that thorough research would conclude

> that there is always some implied or connoted plural meaning even when it

> might seem otherwise.



in lotsa languages (and so many unrelated ones that this seems not

to be an entirely arbitrary association), the plural form implies

politeness--couldn't this be what is going on? seems to go with what

was said about salesmen and friendly people using it, but not the

police officer who's caught you doing something naughty.



lynne



---------------------------------------------------------------------

M. Lynne Murphy              104lyn[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]muse.arts.wits.ac.za

Department of Linguistics            phone: 27(11)716-2340

University of the Witwatersrand          fax: 27(11)716-4199

Johannesburg 2050

SOUTH AFRICA