The word fills an important gap in our language, but it was once stigmatized. The story of "y'all" also includes powerful ...

A University of Alabama professor told NPR that people under 40 in all parts of the country have taken a liking to “y’all” ...

A 2005 Urban Dictionary entry: “Y’all: contraction for you all. Despite what some think, it is not only used by hicks and the uneducated. People from all walks of life, traditionally the ...

Though “y’all” is inherently plural, in the instance of addressing a larger group of people, “all y’all” is more of a casual, slang phrase that’s sometimes used.

“ Y’all has won .” — Paul Reed, a linguist at the University of Alabama who studies Southern American English and Appalachian ...

“Y’all” might also take on the role of a formal marker through a sweetening effect. If you wrap the message in an extra layer of Southernness, it goes down easier.

Back in 1886, The New York Times ran a piece titled “Odd Southernisms” that described “y’all” as “one of the most ridiculous of all the Southernisms.” That perception has persisted ...

The term was “y’all,” he said, tightening his jaw. Little girls were not guys. I recall having this conversation a couple of times as I moved through kindergarten and into elementary school.

For over a century, a controversy has been brewing over what might be called the Loch Ness Monster of dialect study: the elusive singular “y’all.” There are a few who claim to have seen it ...

Might "y'all" be used to address just one person? If it has been used as such, at least some of these instances can be linked to misunderstandings around Southern politeness, according to Davies.

“All y’all,” however, is limited for special circumstances. One could approach a group and say: “John and George, I need y’all” without ambiguity.