For a short time in my early twenties, I tried to free myself of the “y’all” — that tell-tale southernism — much as one would try to stop cursing or spitting. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I thought it made me sound backward. Perhaps it was a source of shame. Alas, I was young and stupid.

Then I started writing, and I learned to appreciate the power of words. I realized that “y’all” was a very effective word, used to fill a gap where something was missing in the English language. In ordinary English, “you” is the same whether you’re talking to one person or multiple people. But there is no one word that allows us to clarify that we’re talking to all of you, not just the you there on the left or the you in the middle. That’s where “y’all” comes in.

With this newfound love for words, I started embracing other outcast words. Like the “C” word - oh, how it swam through Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer. I even bought Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary just because it had the word “f~ker” in it. (See how I still slight the words, though? I can’t help it, I’m still somewhat sensitive to other people.)

I hope y’all can appreciate that.

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