Today's TRMS
Rachel Maddow will be coming to you guys live from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnessota! There is no Race for the White House tonight so Rachel will be on for 2 hours, 6-8pm ET.
The big stories this week are obviously Hurricane Gustav and Sarah Palin. Rachel will be reporting the latest on Gustav and discussing why and how Palin was never properly vetted.
- September 1, 2008








Well, Jason...
...you're plain just wrong.
"Y'all" can be singular or plural. If you want to make sure you're addressing everyone in hearing range, the plural is "all y'all." As in, "Why don't all y'all come over to the house?" "All y'all" is idiomatic, not ignorant. If you ask, "Why don't y'all come over to the house," some people (especially those with whom you're not making eye contact) may be left wondering if you like them enough to have really invited them over. Using "all y'all" signals that you're prepared for a crowd at your house. See how useful that is?
These rules apply all across the South, including North Carolina. But if you're from deep hill country (west of the Piedmont in Virginia, North Carolina, or South Carolina, or northwest Georgia, or eastern Tennessee, West Virginia, or Kentucky), the rules are different. They are:
(a) "you" is singular;
(b) "youen" is plural (vestige of old English and its Germanic roots); and
(c) "youens" is just plain dumb, because it's a double plural, like "feets."
I've heard "youen" regularly as far east as Shelby, North Carolina.
BTW, the pronunciation is "ignernt," not "ignant." I've never heard anyone say "ignant" in my life, and I've been from Murphy to Manteo.
Admit it -- you're really a Republican from Wisconsin, aren't you?
- parent
By essicSeptember 1, 2008 - 7:05pm