"Y'all" Should Be Considered Proper English

For years, English teachers have insisted that "Y'all" is ignorant slang. But, it makes complete sense as a grammatical construct and it is useful in many practical situations. It's time to fight for the right to write "Y'all!"

According to wikipedia, "Y'all is a contraction of the words 'you' and 'all'. It is used as a plural second-person pronoun." Everyone knows that it is applied to a group of people. In cases where there are multiple groups of people who could be addressed it is used as part of the phrase "all y'all" to ensure that all groups of people are included. While English teachers may scoff and label users of "y'all" as being ignorant, in 40 years of speaking English, I have found "y'all" to be an eminently practical grammatical construct.

While sticklers may insist that "you" be used as a plural second-person pronoun, it is easy for listeners to mistake "you" for an address to one specific person rather than a group. The good people of New Jersey have recognized this issue through their constructs: "you's" and "you guys." However, these constructs do not work as well as "y'all" because "guys" is a gender-specific term. Clearly, "y'all" is the best grammatical alternative for a plural second-person pronoun. The real questions are "why haven't grammar authorities and English teachers welcomed the construct into the language and why haven't they deemed it proper?"

Most Americans turn to dictionaries for authoritative information about grammar usage. In the United States, there have traditionally been two leading dictionaries: Websters and American Heritage. Unfortunately, most dictionaries in the South are written by comedian Jeff Foxworthy.Ironically, the American Heritage dictionary was founded in response to what the founder thought was an overly permissive Websters dictionary. However, both dictionaries are published in the North. According to Wikipedia, "Noah Webster was born in West Hartford, Connecticut, to an established Yankee family." The American Heritage dictionary is published by Houghton-Mifflin in Boston. While the Modern Language Association of America is a national organization of linguistic scholars, it's offices are in New York City. In contrast, "Y'all" is a phrase that is closely associated with the vernacular speech of White and African-American Southerners. It's highly likely that "Y'all" and "all y'all" were derided as slang due to the cultural and racial biases of dictionary writers and linguists.

While the biases of language experts may be unconscious or conscious slights, the practical effect is that the phrases "y'all" and "all y'all" are ruled out for use in standard business correspondence. Perhaps the linguistic tide is changing as the dictionary in my version of Microsoft Office recognizes "Y'all." Today, online dictionaries from Webster and American Heritage do not apply the "slang" label to "Y'all." In his paper, "Language Authority in America: In Grammar and Webster We Trust," linguistic scholar Russell Tabbart notes that the United States does not have a government institution to set forth rules about proper English useage and grammar. Instead, we have what he calls "something of a free market academy." He concludes that ". . . given the variety of contexts in which we communicate, given the diversity of usages and the divided attitudes toward them, and given constant change in our language and society, ultimately we have to be our own authorities on language standards."

The diverse people of the South should set aside Confederate flag controversies and other distractions and band together to ensure that "Y'all" is recognized as proper grammar and use of the English language. We are not wrong to use the phrase, "Y'all." Those who would label "Y'all" as slang, vernacular, or ignorant improper use of the English language are actually exhibiting their own offensive cultural and racial biases. I think all Southerners should start using "Y'all" in formal papers and e-mail. Unless, of course, their bosses are Yankees.

Sources:

Tabbert, Russell. "Language Authority in America: In Grammar and Webster We Trust." University of Alaska - Fairbanks, 1994.

"Noah Webster," Wikipedia.org

"Y'all," Wikipedia.org

"American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language," Wikipedia.org

"A Glossary of Quaint Southernisms," Alphadictionary.com