Ebonics/AAVE Question
I am interested in the usage of y’all in Ebonics/AAVE.
The other day, I said, completely without irony, “One of y’all gots to move,” meaning “One of you (pl.) needs to move”. Now, the area I grew up in is both in the South and home to a great many native Ebonics speakers, which makes it difficult to distinguish how much is standard usage and how much is borrowing between the dialects. What I want to know is: do Ebonics/AAVE speakers NOT in the American South use y’all as a plural? If yes, would you ever replace y’all with “you all”, “all of y’all”, “y’all all”, or “all y’all”? Have you ever used y’all to mean something other than a dual or plural you?
Please do not respond if you use y’all for primarily humorous or derogatory purposes. I’m interested solely in the actual communicative uses of the term.
The other day, I said, completely without irony, “One of y’all gots to move,” meaning “One of you (pl.) needs to move”. Now, the area I grew up in is both in the South and home to a great many native Ebonics speakers, which makes it difficult to distinguish how much is standard usage and how much is borrowing between the dialects. What I want to know is: do Ebonics/AAVE speakers NOT in the American South use y’all as a plural? If yes, would you ever replace y’all with “you all”, “all of y’all”, “y’all all”, or “all y’all”? Have you ever used y’all to mean something other than a dual or plural you?
Please do not respond if you use y’all for primarily humorous or derogatory purposes. I’m interested solely in the actual communicative uses of the term.