DISCUSSIONS of Texas often turn to an exploration of the American South's most distinctive regional locution, “y'all.” The common view, among outsiders, is that insofar as “y'all” is from the region specified, it's also a bit sub-literate and redneck.

That's a bit snooty. The fact is that “y'all” is pretty useful, as formal English doesn't have a distinctly plural version of “you.” There is no “yous” (except in places like New York city and New Jersey, sometimes in the form of "youse guys"). This suggests that the referent is usually clear enough in context. But the existence of “y'all,” the related “you-all” and “all-y'all,” and other workarounds like “you guys” and “you lot” show that there is, in fact, room in the market for new second-person plural pronouns. Visitors to Texas typically realize the value of “y'all” within 48 hours.

Let me offer a quick user's guide to “y'all,” because there's a lot of bad information floating around on the internet. It's a contraction of “you all,” obviously, a phrase with the same structure and purpose as the British “you lot.” The southern iteration is naturally disposed to being contracted, although people do use the expanded “you all.” In general, it seems “you all” is more likely to be the object, while “y'all” is the subject, although rhythm is probably the most important factor. Another iteration is “all y'all,” which is used to encompass an entire group in situations where, because the group has natural subsets, ambiguity might otherwise emerge.

No matter what you might have heard, “y'all” should not be used as a singular. If you see someone looking at one other person and calling them “y'all,” don't worry. The speaker is no doubt referring to some additional people who are being thought of, probably with affection, despite their not being physically present.

One final note: as my colleague T.W. discussed last year, some of the other second-plural slang expressions may be reserved for informal settings. It's true that you rarely see “y'all” in professional publications, but this may be partly because it's a contraction. In conversation, at least, “y'all”, unlike "youse guys" in New York, is considered acceptable in any social context. And you don't have to have a Texan or southern accent to give it a try. On balance, we should all look kindly on “y'all.” Like so many regional expressions, it increases both the precision and the flavour of the language.