Saturday, January 09, 2010

W'all?

From a Grammar Girl newsletter:

W'all. Bulldog and the Dude on KOCM in Baltimore informed me that not only do people say "y'all," but sometimes they say "w'all" as an abbreviation for "we all." I'm still walking around shaking my head and muttering "W'all?"

This got me curious. I'm from the South, so I'm used to hearing (and saying) "y'all), but I've got to say, I don't remember hearing anyone say "w'all" for "we all" (come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I heard anyone use the phrase "we all" either).

Maryland is a border state, not quite Northern, not quite Southern, but something of each. Is this a Baltimore thing or is it used in other areas, or were Bulldog and the Dude just pulling Grammar Girl's leg?

3 comments:

Mignon said...

I wondered if they were pulling my leg too, but they seemed serious. It was only one of the hosts who said it (unfortunately, I can't remember which one), and then the other host started teasing him about it.

Kitten said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kitten said...

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and commenting. I'm a fan of yours (obviously, since I get your newsletter) and am honored to have you here!

I just had to ask if anyone coming across this blog was aware of the use of "w'all". Thinking back, I'm fairly sure I have used "we all" at some point, but I know I've never said "w'all".