"Y'all" Y'all!

I don't get it. Why can't "y'all" just become an accepted part of English? The fact is, English lacks a word to distinguish you(singular) from you(plural). Most other languages have this! You can get around it in English by awkwardly by specifying "you + nouns in question". Think "you people", "you animals", or the ever popular "you guys". Usually people just shorthand "you guys" to most situations. This is more linguistically exclusive than words like fireman, salesman, and policeman which are all being phased out. Not only is it gender exclusive, there is no reason to assume that all things you might address directly are going to even be people. Granted, "you goats" or "you turnips" might be uncommon situations, but here the flexibility of "you guys" is still strained. Also, "you guys" is rather informal. Seeing as English also lacks a you(familiar) and a you(formal) it would make sense for your grammatical patch word to cover both of these scenarios as well. I wouldn't want to address a board of directors, or congress as "you guys". "Y'all", of course, is a contraction of "you" and "all". "All" in this case is arguably the most inclusive word you can use in this sticky situation. It covers both genders, familiar and formal situations, as well as situations when you are addressing objects. Indeed it even follows all the standard rules of contractions (as long as you don't write it "ya'll"). Not like the abomination that is "ain't" or even some accepted ones like "shan't".

Interestingly, most Irish have retained a similar workaround from Gaeilge to Hiberno-English (modern Irish dialect) where you(plural) becomes "yous" or "yis" or another regional variant. Since many of the early Scots-Irish immigrants to the US (including my ancestors) settled in the South and Appalachia I suspect this may be an important part of the etymology of the American version "y'all". If this is the case, it would explain some of the negative attitudes towards the word, since in early America the Irish were not looked upon favorably. They were often given the most dangerous jobs, and treated worse than slaves by their employers because slaves were considered valuable property, but a cheaply hired Irishman could be replaced the next day if he fell off of a roof.

Today the word is still mocked as a word for ignorant hicks, hillbillies and rednecks. Stephen Colbert, a prominent southerner of Irish descent, commented (out of character) about dropping his dialect, "[On] TV, if you wanted to use a shorthand that someone was stupid, you gave the character a southern accent. And that's not true. Southern people are not stupid. But I didn't wanna seem stupid. I wanted to seem smart."

I think it's time we stop fueling a nonsensical degradation of a word that actually improves American English.

In Defense of "Ya'll"

Now if you read here a lot, you'll have picked up that I live in South Carolina. Its ok, I'll forgive you if you haven't. I'm not really a southern pride kind of person. I'm also politically liberal and try to keep my accent clean (apparently I slip into a drawl when I get angry, but I never hear it). Anyway enough about me. I'm here to talk about ya'll.

The word ya'll fixes a fundamental problem with the English language.

It is not cute, backwards or quaint.Other languages have words for plural and singular you. English didn't happen to get that one. Ya'll is a contraction that makes a distinction between singular and plural "you". For example, "When are you going to get here?" could mean you who is just one person, or you who is a group of people. You could fix this by adding another word that is plural, "When are you guys going to get here" This works, but makes a distinction of what you actually is, which won't be appropriate for every situation, lets say if there are females in the group, or the group isn't a group of people. "When are you all going to get here?" just says "all", as in the whole group. That's a little cumbersome though, adding a whole extra word in there, and it sounds so proper. What do we do? Resort to a contraction that's what. Ya'll. "When are ya'll going to get here?"

See? Now I know that may sound a little funny to you (ya'll), and I don't expect everyone to jump on the train, but please, at least stop assuming that the word marks an ignorant southerner.

Best Things to See and Do (and what to skip) in South Carolina

Since Governor Sanford is trying to refuse bailout money for the state, I figure I'll help out the tourism industry as best as I can.

Riverbanks Zoo - In Columbia, this is a truly great zoo. It can be a little crowded, but is large enough that the crowds don't usually feel pressing (unless you're at a feeding or event) Check out the gardens if you want to steer clear of the beasties, but be sure to check out the penguin feeding and the special area where you can feed tropical birds little cups of nectar.
Skip: Ripley's Aquarium - Typically crowded, boring and overpriced.

Downtown Greenville - Greenville's downtown is beautiful and lots of fun. On any given weekend you can almost always catch some sort of concert, festival or show either on the street, in a park, or at the Peace Center or BiLo Center. Restaurants range from sandwich shops to high-end sushi. Make sure you check out Falls Park and look for a series of actual size statues of bronze mice hidden around the main drag.
Skip: Downtown Charleston - If you are really into Southern history or have a lot of money, ignore this. The place is pretty hopping but most of the good stuff can get pricey. If you go to see the market or shop at all make sure you go during the day.

Piccolo Spoleto - While downtown Charleston is kind of a bummer unless you have lots of money for shopping and food, not so during Spoleto. This huge music festival takes place in the early summer. Concerts of all types take place in venues across the city all day long, and performers and patrons flock from all over the nation.

The Cooper River Bridge Run - This is a marathon across the historic Cooper River Bridge in Charleston. Now it is a brand-spanking new bridge, and a pretty one too! Those are the older two versions in the background although I think they are gone now. Anyway, get the event t-shirt and you can use it as camoflage to masquerade as a SC native anywhere you go.
Skip: The actual "run" part of the run. Sign up as a "walker" unless you want to be trampled by Kenyans.

Enjoy the Food - Find at least one greasy diner (like The Beacon in Spartanburg, or Ye Olde Fashioned in Charleston), one thouroughly southern restaurant (like Lizard's Thicket) and at least half a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. (If you see a red "hot and now" sign in the window it is time to pull over NOW.
Skip: The same old, same old. Promise me you won't head to Olive Garden when you're here.

Go to a Festival - Almost every small town will have one in the spring and many hold them yearround, it's just a matter of knowing when they are. Sometimes they will be specific - like the St. George Grits Festival - and sometimes just named after a plant or something. Anyway, these are usually an entertaining afternoon.

Magnolia Plantation - One of my favorite places in the world. Find this on the outskirts of Charleston outside of West Ashley. The gardens are beautiful year round, but when the azelias bloom in the spring is by far the best time to visit. Don't think cultivated flowerbeds, think towering bushes covered in blossoms, wooden bridges in lush forests, and generally a Secret Garden beautifully overgrown feel. There is also a series of walkways through the swamp (never get your feet dirty), a hedge maze, petting zoo and I assume some sort of museum.
Skip: Drayton Hall Plantation - It is literally down the road from Magnolia, but is not as fun or spectacular.

The Mountains - Check out Ceasars head, near Brevard or one of tons of other mountain-area parks and activities.

Go Strom Hopping - Everything here is named after Strom Thurmond. Check out Lake Thurmond, buildings on the campuses of nearly every major public university, statues of him at the capitol and his hometown (also the hometown of Strom Thurmond high school). Actually... this is not that fun. The lake is nice though.

Bull Island - A coastal island which is nearly pristine. You'll have to take a ferry to get there. This is one of the few places in the world where you'll have a chance to see a red wolf. This is a little more of an expedition than a tourist sight though, so don't bite off more than you can chew if you can't handle the bugs or the heat.

The Beach - We have some amazing beaches!! The tricky part? Avoid Myrtle Beach. Seriously! It's a fun city to hang out in, but the beach is so polluted crowded that it is no fun for actually be on. Check out Surfside, Edisto, Isle of Palms, Folly, and Ocean Isle (actually in NC but whatever). There are certainly others but ask someone who knows what they are like before you head on down.

Reasons South Carolina Isn't That Bad

I'm more than aware that we South Carolinians get a pretty bad rap nationwide. Most people more than a state away think we're racist, backwards idiots. Well I'm here today to show you some of the nicer side of my fair state.

The Weather - Some don't like the humidity, but I love the weather here... three-quarters of the year that is. The winters are cold enough to get snow once or twice a year (just enough that its exciting every time). The spring... sucks, honestly. It's usually wet and cold, but then we get the SUMMER which is gloriously hot and heavy (like a big quilt every time you step outside) right up until the mild autumn (don't forget to check out all our trees).

Gullah - The only place in the world Gullah culture exists? The South Carolina and Georgia Low-Country (coast). In case you missed Gullah Gullah Island, Gullah is an African-American subculture that speaks a creole language that is a hodgepodge of English and African. Their culture shares many features with west and central African cultures including the famous sweet-grass baskets which are sold throughout the Charleston area in swanky tourist shops and roadside stands (guess which ones are real). If you are headed to the area and want one, check out Hwy 17 in Mount Pleasant and be prepared to drop a pretty penny. Even a smallish basket can easily run $50-$100 and the more intricate designs will draw quite a bit more.

Education - Blah, blah, blah South Carolina has really low SAT scores That's because we encourage every high school student to take the SAT (not just the already college-bound ones). While there are certainly pockets of under-funded schools, I went to several public schools in several districts and worked and volunteered in 2 or 3 more. Our schools are no joke, and I would not hesitate to send my kids there (should I ever have any).

Food - Country cooking, soul food, whatever. It's good. Some food highlights: shrimp and grits, savory cornbread, veggies cooked with pork, chicken and dumplings, Carolina style (mustard based) barbecue, all kinds of fresh seafood, oyster roasts, sweet corn (this is different from yellow corn, which I don't care for so much) and casseroles galore. Old southern church ladies can make awesome casseroles out of ANYTHING. Oh and deep-fried everything! Chicken, okra, squash, pork chops, fish, sweet onions... even stuff like macaroni, grits, candy bars, oreos and brownies (Ok, the candy bars are a festival thing and the brownies were at a restaurant appropriately named Fatz) Don't worry there are still sushi places in every city.

Liberals! - Okay, we're definitely outnumbered here, but we're a fierce minority. Don't forget 100,000 more votes were cast in the Democratic primary in 2008 than the Republican one. Meeting up with a fellow liberal here is like finding another member of a special secret club. One of you drops a hint, the other picks it up and before you know it you're all giddy with excitement because you can talk about evolution, birth control and Iraq without fear of horrible glares and uncomfortable silences. There was also a fun game of "honk and wave at the other Obama-stickered cars" going on for about a month before the election. This was really nerve wracking the first couple of times because I couldn't figure out why people were honking, screaming, and, in one case, wearing an Oscar the Grouch costume (muppets have long been a key demographic for the liberal agenda). Luckily, most of the more enthusiastic players of the game had campaign signs to wave around in order to get the message across.

Gas Prices - Having a state run by Republicans means that while we do have a lack of funding for schools and roads because we don't tax crap, we do have really, really low gas prices.

Landscape and Attractions - There are beaches, mountains, islands, lakes, waterfalls, lakes fed by waterfalls, rivers, creeks, pine forests, old growth forests, swamps, old cities, new cities, haunted bridges, battlegrounds, observatories and one of the best zoos in the nation. South Carolina has a vast variety of beautiful habitats and landmarks to explore. You'd be suprised how different the Low-country and the Upstate can be (I also love the region names. Besides those two, Piedmont, Pee Dee, Waxhaws and Midlands are common names for other regions).