A Lesson In Culture From A Sophisticated Southern Gentleman (Me)

To succeed in life, you need to learn to talk right.

That includes learning that certain words should only be used by certain people.

For instance, you’uns - meaning, all y’all - should only be used by people living within 10 miles of the Georgia-Tennessee line.

Because we have a house within those boundaries, I’m allowed to say, you’uns.

By the way, correct pronunciation of the word is one syllable: yuns.

I’ve expanded my personal mountain vocabulary to include we’uns, us’uns, and them there.

“How much you’uns want for them there rockin’ chairs?”

But I want to talk about the word, y’all.

In a perfect world, it should only be used by proper, delicate Southerners. But who qualifies as such?

This was called into question recently when a young lady who lived with us for the better part of two years posted, “Happy New Year all!”

A French fried friend of mine (from France) responded to her post, “Shouldn’t that be Happy New Year, y’all?”

While indeed he lives in France, his business brings him to The States. Frequently, the southern states. He’s fluent not only in English but in Southern English.

His challenge was valid, especially since he only knows her as our houseguest in Georgia. The two are connected only on social media and have never actually met.

What he didn’t know is that she’s from Indiana. But as I offered that explanation to him, I started recalling how often she said y’all during her time with us.

It was a lot. A whole lot.

Y’all fell off her lips so easily, it never occurred to me she maybe shouldn’t be using it. You know, being from Indiana and all.

Let the investigation begin!

First up, a text to my cousin in Indiana.

“Hey cuz, do Indians, Indianites, Indianaians - whatever y’all are say, y’all?”

Her response: “We’re Hoosiers, and no we do not.”

Interesting.

Our former housemate had come to live with us as she finished up an advanced degree at the University of Georgia. Had she picked it up there? Or was she a fraud? A phony. A pretender, pretending to be a gentle Southern belle when she was a…

…a Yankee!?!?

I called her up to call her out.

It didn’t go as expected.

Turns out, there’s a cultural divide in Indiana. Our girl is from what’s known as Kentuckiana. It’s the part of Indiana across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.

(Technically, Kentuckiana includes parts of Kentucky, too, but let’s keep it simple.)

It’s the ‘Deep South’ of Indiana that perhaps relates more to the culture of Kentucky and the South.

My cousin is not in northern Indiana but she’s far enough up that she’s out of Kentuckiana, and therefore belongs to another culture.

Her people do not say y’all. Her people do not have rocking chairs on their porches. (And what’s up with that??)

Kentuckiana is considered hillbilly territory. Hillbillies say ‘y’all’ and have rockin’ chairs.

Ask me how I know, y’all.

Two of seven rocking chairs at our place. Six of them are red.