I had thought “all y’all” arose where “y’all” had come to be used universally, even when referring to a single person, so that “all y’all” became the new plural form. But that seems to be an oversimplification. See this discussion on Language Log which I think makes it clear that singular y’all is relatively rare but by no means unknown, and suggests that “all y’all” is used in different ways in different places.
The last time I queried an authoritative source on y’all (a waitress in a Waffle House in South Carolina), she was quite sure that “you” should be used for one person, “y’all” should be used for up to 5-6 people, and if you’re addressing more than that, it’s “all y’all”.
Keep in mind that it’s more complicated than just singular/plural. There are three forms: you, y’all, and all y’all.
there’s also ya’all
I didn’t know about all y’all. That’s also pretty cool. Does “y’all” carry the implication “but not all y’all”?
I had thought “all y’all” arose where “y’all” had come to be used universally, even when referring to a single person, so that “all y’all” became the new plural form. But that seems to be an oversimplification. See this discussion on Language Log which I think makes it clear that singular y’all is relatively rare but by no means unknown, and suggests that “all y’all” is used in different ways in different places.
The last time I queried an authoritative source on y’all (a waitress in a Waffle House in South Carolina), she was quite sure that “you” should be used for one person, “y’all” should be used for up to 5-6 people, and if you’re addressing more than that, it’s “all y’all”.
Well, it’s second-person so I’m not sure in which situation you would choose to use y’all to mean “you guys here but not those guys over there”.