LINGUIST List 3.60

Wed 22 Jan 1992

Disc: Youse

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. KARE JOHNSON-WEINER, Re: 3.41 Clusters; X and a Half; Pronouns; Inflection
2. "Don W.", Pronouns; Pronunciation
3. M Ford, 'Yous'

Message 1: Re: 3.41 Clusters; X and a Half; Pronouns; Inflection

for those interested, `yous' (the plural form of you) is alive and well in
the North Country--northern (north, northeast of Syracuse) New York.

Re various in 3-41:

As for "you'uns," the pronoun "we'uns" is attested in at least one
quotation in Bruce Catton's Civil War histories. As a native speaker
of "you-all," I must admit I've never heard "you'uns" or even "we'uns."
Maybe that usage is not in Tidewater dialects. Is it Piedmont or
Appalachian ("hillbilly" :->).

Interestingly, perhaps, the form "we-all" does not exist. No reason
it should, I guess.

Being out of the "country" can do things to one's (:->) language:
I once tried to buy some film from a store owner in northeastern
North Carolina. When I asked for "film," he drew a blank. Seeing
his puzzlement, I just showed him my camera. "Oh," he exclaimed,
"you mean fillums!" He pronounced it [fijumz] (j = yod, of course).
I almost congratulated him on his French but thought better of it.
Now I learn it's "Hiberno-English." No surprise, really: that area
was settled heavily by Scotch-Irish.

Don W.
DonWebbCSUS.EDU

>From : Mike Ford, Edinburgh Uni,Scotland.

The use of 'yous', as the second person plural pronoun is very
common in Scottish English.