When I first moved to Texas, honestly, every time I heard the word "Y'all", it felt somewhat cheesy to me.

How should I put it... coming from a background where I only used "you" or "you guys" that I learned from English books, when I heard something like "Y'all want some sweet tea?", it didn't sound familiar to me whether it was directed at me or a plural greeting.

But after living here for 20 years, now I confidently say it.

"Hey y'all, dinner's ready!"

I first came to the U.S. and lived in New York, and now I've been living in Texas for 20 years.

Now, I am clearly a Texas local. In fact, if you look at how "you guys" and "y'all" are used in American English, it's like a map of American culture.

Basically, "you guys" is a Northern style, while "y'all" is a Southern style.

In places like California, New York, Chicago, and Boston, "you guys" is overwhelmingly used. It's very natural for a barista at a street café to ask, "What can I get for you guys?" Here, gender doesn't matter. Even among women, it's just "you guys". It's used somewhat gender-neutrally. This expression has a cool, urban feel to it.

On the other hand, in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and of course Texas! Here, "y'all" is the basic greeting. Even if someone hands me a cup of water, I say, "Thank y'all", and when sending a group email, I start with "Hey y'all". It feels soft and warm, with a sense of community. There's also a nuance of "we are all together".

At first, I thought both "you guys" and "y'all" referred to two or more people, but interestingly, "y'all" is sometimes used for one person too. When a store clerk said to me, "Y'all have a good day now", I was surprised alone, but it turned out to be just a habitual greeting.

If we look at the regional characteristics on a map, it divides like this.

Northeast: "you guys" everywhere. New York, Pennsylvania, and Boston are definitely in this category. If someone says "y'all" here, they are definitely marked as Southern-born. Haha

Midwest: still "you guys", but in some areas, "you all" is slowly being used.

South: the paradise of "y'all". In Texas, it's almost a religious level. Even in company emails, we casually use "y'all".

West: California is basic "you guys", but nowadays, due to the trend of inclusive language, terms like "you all" or "folks" are gradually increasing. However, "y'all" is almost not used at all.

But you know, the true value of "y'all" comes out when you get a bit closer to the people who use it. The moment someone asks me, "How y'all doing?", I strangely feel my heart open. There's a unique American sentiment in English, you know.

Now, when someone says "you guys", I sometimes feel a bit of distance. I think to myself, "That person is not from the South...".

And I really like this warm and laid-back Southern way of speaking now.

So y'all take care now, alright?