Pronoun. An informal, plebeian, All-American term used to address more than one person, without regard to the sexes of the addressees. Continually gaining popularity in this function as a substitute for "you," "you all," "
y'all,"
even among the highly educated, and
even among traditional people
deep in the South, home of rival, functionally-equivalent term "
y'all." May draw its growing appeal, which stretches across barriers of age, economic and educational background, ethnicity, and
geography, from its apparent congeniality to the All-American ethics of superficial egalitarianism, aversion to pretensions of education, and emulating
popular media and celebrities. Also may be gaining popularity among aging baby boomers as these struggle to maintain some vestiges of youthfulness and relevance. Presently, the term is partially and
even fully replacing "
y'all" in the communications of many Southerners, many of whom may be inspired by, in addition to the reasons given above, an insecurity about their accent and/or regional origins. Very formal or linguistically-fastidious people may be irritated when others use this term. Proud Southerners may view the use of the term by their fellow Southerners as a form of cultural betrayal, as a form of scalawag-ism.
Young-at-heart grandmother in Baton Rouge, speaking on the phone with her daughter-in-law: "You guys wanna come over Thursday night for some gumbo?"
Balding-but-youthful associate professor of
English at an SEC
college, to a half-filled classroom of students on a Friday: "You guys turned in some great essays, full of original and deep concepts. Since tomorrow's a game day, and since
y'all'
ve worked so hard lately, let's end class early. Also, I'm kind of hungover--hehe. You guys have a great weekend!"
