Where does the "You'uns" belts stop in Tennesse?

[Will Carry]

In 1993 I went to Wartburg for the first time (pretty women up there for sure). We were camping at Frozen Head State Park when the park ranger came up and said "Hi You'uns doing?" . That was the first time I have heard "You'uns" used in Tennessee. After 20 years of visiting Wartburg every spring I got used to the way they talk but I had never heard anyone outside the area use the term. Now a friend of mine from Pennsylvania says the mountain folk there say "You'uns" too. So I'm picturing a belt running from Pennsylvania down to Tennessee where the hill folk say "You'uns" instead of "Ya'll". So my question is:

Does the You'uns belt stop at the Kentucky border area or does it extend down through the Pine Barrens into Alabama? Does it go west in to Middle Tennessee?

[DaveS]

Clarksville, Dover and Alabama for sure. You'uns and Ya'll just don't understand!

Dave S.

Sent to You'uns via my sending thingie

[Garufa]

I remember hearing it the first time I came to East TN. I still prefer y'all.

If they say it up in PA as well it's definitely an Appalachian thing. Wonder if it goes all the way up to Maine? It certainly does not go to West TN.

[gjohnsoniv]

I'm used to y'all but I've heard you'uns as well depending on where. Guess I don't really pay that much attention to it.

[Oh Shoot]

I'm used to y'all but I've heard you'uns as well depending on where. Guess I don't really pay that much attention to it.

"You'uns" is Snuffy Smith and L'il Abner, "y'all" is more refined, Southern intelligentsia.

And hizen's, as possessive.

I've even heard "you'unszes", a plural plural.

- OS

Edited August 13, 2012 by OhShoot

[JAB]

I generally say, "Y'all," but will sometimes say, "You'uns," instead - although with me it comes out as one word, like, "Yewens" or even, "Yuns." Of course, I was born in LaFayette, Georgia, lived in that area until I was three years old and still have relatives in north Georgia so some of my word choices/speech patterns go back to that. In fact, if I spend a few days down there among my kin even my accent changes back to a north Georgia accent that is noticeable even to me. It is kind of funny how much more of what I think of as the "Old South" speech patterns still hold sway there than in East Tennessee. People there still often say, "Carry me to the store," use phrases like, "over yonder" and pronounce "it" as, "hit" much more than I ever hear in East Tennessee, just as a few examples.

I remember having a disagreement with one of my professors at UT about speech patterns, etc. He was a linguistics professor teaching The Foundations of American English who was, strangely, not even a native English speaker. His native language was Hindi. To further complicate matters, he learned to speak English in Illinois. Anyhow, he asserted that people say the phrase, "I bet you," as "I betcha." I disagreed (as I often did - because he was often wrong.) He kept insisting that everyone said the phrase that way and even appeared to get a bit upset about it until I finally demonstrated for him the way I say it (likely one of the north Georgia influences on my speech pattern.) I do not say "I betcha." Instead, I use a glottal stop, don't even pronounce the 't' and say the phrase as something like, "I Beh (glottal stop) ye" with the glottal stop taking the place of the hard 't' sound. Between my hybrid and (I suppose) sometimes unusual speech patterns and English being one of my majors, I guess I probably drove that poor professor nuts that semester.

Edited August 13, 2012 by JAB

[ShamGlock]

I know I hear it up in Polk County enough. So it goes at least down to there. Never really cared for that one myself, and as many times as I've heard it I still can't get used to it.

[daddyo]

Jeff Foxworthy says "you'uns" is "ya'll" plus three.

I grew up in the southeastern corner of Tennessee (Polk County) where "you'uns" was more common than "ya'll".

Edited August 13, 2012 by DaddyO

[plank white]

was in alabama at the Rodeo saturday and it is alive and strong there as well

[gregintenn]

I believe the Jackson/Macon county line is the northern border. East is you'uns, west is ya'll.

I do enjoy the macon county pronoun that espresses ownership; you'rn (pronounced as urine).

[Murgatroy]

Y'uns are spelling it wrong first of all.

Y'uns is most of an Appalachia thing. Y'all is the southern thing.

[plank white]

I though yall and you'uns was southern and country most city slicker yankees I know use the word you's

[TMF]

I had a functionally illiterate squad leader from eastern Kentucky that would say "you'uns". Can't say that I've noticed too many people talk that way, but then again, I haven't spent much time in that area.

[daddyo]

Y'uns are spelling it wrong first of all.

Y'uns is most of an Appalachia thing. Y'all is the southern thing.

Don't know about the spelling, since it's not in the dictionary, but you are correct that "you'uns" is most commonly pronounced "y'uns".

[Defender]

This isn't an answer to the OP, but I first heard you'uns back in 73, at Griffiss AFB, NY and it was spoken by a Pennsylvanian hillbilly who was more hillbilly than people I knew here in Tennessee!

[UncleJak]

I've heard it in Scott county TN and White county KY.....still sounds weird to me whenever I hear it...

[atlas3025]

I grew up in the hills of Caryville (Campbell County) saying "y'uns", but as I got older and moved to Knoxville (only 20 miles away!) I have switched to y'all.

The best is the second person possesive from the hills, "Your'n". For instance, "is that dog over there your'n? A contraction of "your one".

If I am not mistaken, the dialect often used in the mountains is very close to Elizibethan Era English. When I was in school at UT, the English Department would have visiting linguists from Scotland and England that came to study the hillbillies because it was like a time-machine for them to their own heritage. Too, the Scottish are big into mullets.

The culture is being lost now because of satellite TV and The Jersey Shore.

Edited August 14, 2012 by atlas3025

[Guest ochretoe]

I have heard it in Berea Ky. But I became familliar with it when I worked in Anderson/Campbell co.'s in East TN. Lots of hard working Eastern Mt. folk use Y'uns.

[peejman]

I was born in SC and my family that still lives there says both y'uns and y'all. I grew up in Chattanooga and heard/here both there as well.

[Guest TankerHC]

My mother in law says it ALL THE TIME. I constantly ask her "Whats You'uns", even though I know exactly what she means, its humorous to listen to an 80 year old Mountain raised woman trying to explain that slang. I have never heard it said in either Northrn Virginia, Maryland, Pennsyvania or anywhere in that area. However, my grandather, who raised me, was from Georgia and he and all of his older family members used it.

[Good_Steward]

Y'uns are spelling it wrong first of all.

Y'uns is most of an Appalachia thing. Y'all is the southern thing.

That (Y'uns) is what I always heard growing up in Charleston, TN. God love the Charlestonians.

[Tncobra]

I can confirm my clan in SW Pa has always said youins, along with pop. Must be an Appalachia thing.

[Glenn]

If my memory is working right, there was a Heartland series episode a few years ago about Irish influence on Appalachian speech and yous-uns was discussed at length as the plural of you ones with an Irish accent or something like that. see, my memory is not really working as good as yousuns might hope.

Glenn

[TN Outlaw]

i say Both Y'all and Y'uns or You'uns

[billyscott]

In the Ozarks of Missouri, it's You'uns. In Livingston, TN and surrounding areas it You'uns.

If there's more than three it's You'uns'es.

Mining country maybe?