Lately, I've noticed, more frequently than ever in the past, an overuse of "y'all" in conversations. For example, just now, a fellow pod-mate was on the phone explaining something, some series of events (work-related), and this young man, very intelligent, very Northern (born and raised in Michigan, with very little travel outside of it), used "y'all" at least 9 times in his conversation. As in, "in response to your request, y'all will receive Form blah-blah-blah," and "upon completion, we will blah blah blah, and if you will kindly give me your fax number, y'all will receive blah blah blah." It was positively freaky. All about his conversation, his tone, his vocabulary... the very essence of his diction... reaked Northern geek... except for those y'alls peppering the entire one-sided dialog that I couldn't help but hear.
And the other day, I caught a bit of the Ellen show, and she used "y'all" several times. The clerk at K-Mart said to me, "y'all find everything you need?" Everywhere I turn, it's y'all.
I like the phrase y'all, and I use it. Freely. But then, my mom's folks are from West Virginia, so I feel my hillbilly blood warrants my use of the word... indeed, it may not only justify using y'all, but demand it. As a tribute to my roots, or some of them, anyway, and as an explanation of my bare feet. The beer I drink because we have good strong Germanic blood on my dad's side, and Dutch... And we all know what partying people they are.
But here in Michigan, one should not expect to encounter use of y'all so frequently... it gnaws at my hillbilly sensibilities, I tells ya.
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