Brody McCurdy \u201922 mr never said \u201cy\u2019all\u201d as a kid growing up in Florida or when he later earned his undergraduate degree at Davidson College. He opted, instead, for \u201cyou guys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when he got to Davidson, McCurdy noticed that a lot of people were saying \u201cy\u2019all\u201d even though they didn\u2019t sound Southern. \u201cI was involved in all these progressive organizations, and it was used as a gender-neutral term,\u201d he says. \u201cI thought, \u2018What is happening?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McCurdy has had a fascination with \u201cfinding out how language ticks\u201d since he was in middle school, so he came to NC State for graduate studies in linguistics. And for his master\u2019s thesis, he explored the spread of the use of \u201cy\u2019all,\u201d a term historically associated with the South. \u201cThe last work on it, academically, was in the 1990s,\u201d he says. \u201cThat work found that \u2018y\u2019all\u2019 was spreading outside the South, but they had no idea why. They thought it was because it was super useful, one word instead of two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
. . . \u2018y\u2019all\u2019 was spreading outside the South, but they had no idea why. They thought
it was because it was super useful, one word instead of two.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWhat McCurdy found through his research confirmed that \u201cy\u2019all\u201d has spread well beyond the South. He also found that the term\u2019s increased popularity is due in part to being gender neutral. He says the \u201cY\u2019all Means All\u201d campaign to show support for the LGBTQ+ community was instrumental in the spread of the term. \u201cYounger people are way more likely to use \u2018y\u2019all\u2019 as gender neutral,\u201d he says. \u201cThe same with the LGBTQ+ community, and people who are progressive politically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McCurdy, an associate researcher in the linguistics department, found examples of \u201cy\u2019all\u201d being used by non-Southern characters in television shows, and he interviewed a woman in Boston, Mass., who said her company sent out a memo encouraging employees to use \u201cy\u2019all\u201d as a gender-neutral alternative to \u201cyou guys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And McCurdy has started using it, too. \u201cI do intentionally use it in conversation, specifically in mixed-gender groups,\u201d he says. \u201cIf someone is unhappy with the use of \u2018you guys,\u2019 it\u2019s not much skin off of my back to use \u2018y\u2019all\u2019 and be inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n
Brody McCurdy \u201922 mr never said \u201cy\u2019all\u201d as a kid growing up in Florida or when he later earned his undergraduate degree at Davidson College. He opted, instead, for \u201cyou guys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when he got to Davidson, McCurdy noticed that a lot of people were saying \u201cy\u2019all\u201d even though they didn\u2019t sound Southern. \u201cI was involved in all these progressive organizations, and it was used as a gender-neutral term,\u201d he says. \u201cI thought, \u2018What is happening?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McCurdy has had a fascination with \u201cfinding out how language ticks\u201d since he was in middle school, so he came to NC State for graduate studies in linguistics. And for his master\u2019s thesis, he explored the spread of the use of \u201cy\u2019all,\u201d a term historically associated with the South. \u201cThe last work on it, academically, was in the 1990s,\u201d he says. \u201cThat work found that \u2018y\u2019all\u2019 was spreading outside the South, but they had no idea why. They thought it was because it was super useful, one word instead of two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
. . . \u2018y\u2019all\u2019 was spreading outside the South, but they had no idea why. They thought
it was because it was super useful, one word instead of two.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWhat McCurdy found through his research confirmed that \u201cy\u2019all\u201d has spread well beyond the South. He also found that the term\u2019s increased popularity is due in part to being gender neutral. He says the \u201cY\u2019all Means All\u201d campaign to show support for the LGBTQ+ community was instrumental in the spread of the term. \u201cYounger people are way more likely to use \u2018y\u2019all\u2019 as gender neutral,\u201d he says. \u201cThe same with the LGBTQ+ community, and people who are progressive politically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McCurdy, an associate researcher in the linguistics department, found examples of \u201cy\u2019all\u201d being used by non-Southern characters in television shows, and he interviewed a woman in Boston, Mass., who said her company sent out a memo encouraging employees to use \u201cy\u2019all\u201d as a gender-neutral alternative to \u201cyou guys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And McCurdy has started using it, too. \u201cI do intentionally use it in conversation, specifically in mixed-gender groups,\u201d he says. \u201cIf someone is unhappy with the use of \u2018you guys,\u2019 it\u2019s not much skin off of my back to use \u2018y\u2019all\u2019 and be inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An icon of Southern dialect finds growing popularity
\nnationally as a way to be gender neutral.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":3622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"backgroundColor\":\"reynolds_400\",\"subtitle\":\"An icon of Southern dialect finds growing popularity
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