Ok, so I spent much of my middle school and high school years fighting and rejecting the use of the word "y'all" because it was too local, too country, to redneck...it was just so wrong! Using it though was--enticing, it was like playing along with a practical joke that only some people were in on. But alas, at 34, I am not one of those people who uses the word "y'all." After all, I am "above" such incorrect usage of the English language. (as if- my favorite words are the ones I make up)
I'm over it!! After the Avett Bros concert, I remembered how alluring "y'all" can be. I have decided I am going to bring back "y'all" into my personal vernacular. I mean, after all, embracing the word "y'all" means embracing my roots-my, heritage if you will. Although, I guess that means I should ditch the quotation marks around it, eh?
The only problem is every time I say it, just to try it out, it feels so wrong in my mouth. This may prove harder than I think.
6 comments:
ha ha...i know what you mean. my mom started saying "y'all" for a breif period when my siblings and i were attending college in va. it was supposed to be charming i think...but it just sounded SO wrong from my 100% new england yankee mom.
Funny...I pull it out when I'm in the company of strangers, especially those from Utah. It's just fun and I feel totally justified.
Good luck this weekend!
Why is it so foreign to my lips, too? It sounds fraudulent when I try and use it. Is it because my parents were Yankees? (Well, my dad...my mom was an Army brat) I live in the deep south and when I try to use it it feels like people think I'm a fake.
I find regional affectation totally awesome
"yah brah"
I still can't pull off our local affectations.
So funny! I used it in one of my blog posts as the header and had such a hard time leaving it. I didn't grow up in the south, but after being here for 20 years the use of the local language has seem to grow on us. When we go home to visit, other people can hear an accents, especially in the kids. I still think we sound pretty western...well, until I ask for a buggy instead of a shopping cart!
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