Time for this month’s Appalachian Grammar Lesson.
The pronoun one is often changed to un or n.
We’uns or you’uns are the two examples most often pointed out. However those are not the most common examples of the usage I’ve heard during my lifetime.
I never hear anyone say we’uns and although I do hear you’uns (sounding more like youns) there are several other examples that I hear more often, such as:
“Well get you another’n if you want cause we’ve got a plenty.”
“Even those little’uns are mighty tasty.”
“Granny was a hoping for some big’uns but she didn’t get nary’n.”
“Now that’n is a mess. There ain’t a bit of telling what he’ll do next but you can’t help but like him.”
——————
Hope you’ll leave me a comment and tell me if you’re familiar with the examples in this lesson.
Tipper
37 Comments
Neppie
August 29, 2011 at 1:38 pmI was born in Grundy, VA. I now live in Florida, but all my life I’ve heard and said young’uns for children. Really enjoy your site.
Sassy
August 25, 2011 at 11:11 amI’ve used young’uns but hadn’t heard of most of the others. My thing is dropping the “g” such as, cookin’, grillin’, etc.
Lisa @ Two Bears Farm
August 24, 2011 at 8:03 amI don’t think I’ve ever heard we’uns but I’ve definitely heard the others!
SandyCarlson (USA)
August 23, 2011 at 11:13 pmI enjoyed that.
I hope you are safe and sound and that Irene leaves you alone.
Suzi Phillips
August 23, 2011 at 10:50 pmKnow ’em all, but I’m a ya’ll girl. Mitchell definitely says y’uns & I have heard him say we’uns. In North Alabama “ern” gets alot of use, but it does here, too. When I was learning to spell, I thought thaten was a word-maybe that’s why most of my teachers thought I was hopeless!
Janet Smart
August 23, 2011 at 10:24 pmI am familiar with all of them and grew up hearing them all the time.
Susie Swanson
August 23, 2011 at 7:36 pmI’ve heard all of the uns words except we’uns. I don’t think I’ve ever said that one or heard it. I say those words alot. I guess it’s just what we’ve heard all of our life.. Good post, Thank you for the comment on the Dahlia poem. I think I remember your aunt Ina Penland some. I wonder if she substituted in the lunch room any. That maybe where I remember her from..Susie
Charlotte
August 23, 2011 at 7:04 pmI’ve heard part of them, in days past. There were also, his’un and her’un.
I always enjoy these grammar lessons.
Madge
August 23, 2011 at 6:28 pmMy dad’s family was from the Sparta in NC and I’ve met my cousins who still live there… reminds me of how they still speak…
Nancy
August 23, 2011 at 4:32 pmWell, I’ve used young’uns before, but I think that’s universal. The rest — have never heard. 🙂
Nancy M.
August 23, 2011 at 4:24 pmI hear you’uns all the time around here, especially from my cousin who was raised up near Andrews, NC. The others I have heard also, except for we’uns.
Kim @ Stuff could....
August 23, 2011 at 3:47 pmI grew up with these words! Thought that was just normal til I moved to Atlanta…They told me yellow was not pronounced yella
Dee from Tennessee
August 23, 2011 at 3:06 pmAll of them except ” we’uns or nary’un “……but they are truly disappearing, sad to say.
Ron Banks
August 23, 2011 at 2:53 pmTipper,
I just realized I speak fluent Appalachian!
I love this post and it is one of the best’uns yet!
Mel H.
August 23, 2011 at 1:33 pmI think this way of speech goes back to British english, with Scottish & Irish (Arsh)influences. They say “you ones”(yu’ns), for instance.
The only time I have ever heard “we’ns” around here was from TV or an outlander mocking the way some of us talk.
Ken
August 23, 2011 at 12:44 pmTipper,
I enjoy these Appalachian Words.
A few years ago I did business
with some Yankee friends from New
York. They got a kick out of my
mountain dialect and it was so
funny when they tried to talk like
that. We had a good time…Ken
Mary
August 23, 2011 at 12:40 pmYu’uns know that little’un will be a biggun afor long. That’n there will be off ta school soon too. Those yunguns sure grow up fast!
Yeah, not only in Appalachia, but the Ozarks too.
kat
August 23, 2011 at 12:00 pmMostly say ya’ll and never say we’uns. The rest i use quiet often.
Debora Kerr
August 23, 2011 at 11:29 amIn my circles, oddly, never heard any variant of the ‘un used. It was always theys or thems “theys all comin’ over” or “thems all gone”
Sheryl Paul
August 23, 2011 at 11:24 amNever use youns, but have heard it used. We say younguns, littleuns, bigguns olduns and uglyuns.
warren
August 23, 2011 at 11:15 amI definitely hear all of your examples and I noticed another common word that you use in one of your examples…mighty (also powerful). I hear people say it all the time. “That’s a mighty fine dog you got yerself.” “That’s mighty nice of you brinin’ that sack of squash over.” “I was mighty proud of the youngin’ for the marks he brought home on his report card” “I heard a powerful lot of noise up the holler and then down come this herd of deer that like to run me and the missus over”
Gosh I love Appalachia-speak!
teresa atkinson
August 23, 2011 at 11:08 amHeard all of them — but the most likely for me to use is little’uns.
Love
Garland Davis
August 23, 2011 at 10:48 amGrowed up lisnin to em.
Lonnie L. Dockery
August 23, 2011 at 10:19 amNever used we’uns and I’ve become self-concious about youns–but I still say that’n and this’n and another’n as a matter of course. And one of them big’uns cooked in the ashes is a whole lot better than a “big one” cooked in a microwave!
Thanks for the reminders Tipper!
Bobby C
August 23, 2011 at 9:50 amTipper,
Never “We’uns” but always “Youns” or “Y’un’s”. As well as all the rest you mentioned. My family uses them regularly. It’s funny and sad, but I guess I’ve trained myself to refrain from using “Y’un’s” most of the time in the working world. But it always comes out when I get back home.
Thanks for keeping our roots watered! 🙂
Bobby C
Mike McLain
August 23, 2011 at 9:44 amAdd this’un. Don’t think I have heard nary’n, only nary a one.
John
August 23, 2011 at 9:34 amYoung’uns, wrong’uns, littl’uns, good’uns are used regularly in England and would not cause comment, but it is unusual to see them written down. You’uns and y’all are never heard, the colloquial equivalent, if there is one, would be “you lot”, and we’uns becomes “us lot”. Like the man said “England and America – two countries divided by a common language!”
Sandra
August 23, 2011 at 8:58 amall familiar from my past, but not heard here in Florida and not by me for about 50 years now
Bill Burnett
August 23, 2011 at 8:39 amThough I’ve never used we’uns or nary’un the rest are good’uns.
Miss Cindy
August 23, 2011 at 8:38 amTipper, I’m so embarrassed. I’ve heard you’uns forever as well as others you mentioned but I never knew it was short for one. I’m not sure how I missed it but I did.
I’ve heard all the ones that you listed. I’ve known the meaning just never thought of the origin.
It’s a little early in the day and long in the tooth for me to be learning something new but I guess you gotta take it when ever you can get it. LOL
Thanks a bunch.
B f
August 23, 2011 at 8:37 amvery familiar to those words , in fact i probably use them my self(unbeknowest at the time) for when we pick them up early in life we dont let them go easily
i kinda like the old times way and words the best. keeps me connected to the past and a way of a simpler life
Cee
August 23, 2011 at 8:27 amI’ve heard all of them…and use some of them myself.
Kimberly Burnette
August 23, 2011 at 8:13 amI don’t really hear you’uns or we’uns, around here but we tend to say ya’ll and we all. But all of the others, I do use in abundance! 🙂
Kimberly
Lewis
August 23, 2011 at 7:50 amYes, am familiar with several, mostly “you’uns.” Some Appalachian history books tell us where many of these words came from, principally England. Another word is “winder” for “window.” This is a good ole Scottish word that never went away in the Appalachians.
Jim Casada
August 23, 2011 at 7:50 amTipper–Sometimes one seems to my tin ear to come across more as “ern,” as in “that there beagle Chip, he was a sho’ ’nuff good’ern on a rabbit’s trail.”
Jim Casada
http://www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
P. S. Chip was real, Dad’s dog of a lifetime, and he was pure pizen on the trail of a cottontail.
Vera Guthrie
August 23, 2011 at 7:14 amI have heard’m all and said’m all LOL
B. Ruth
August 23, 2011 at 7:11 amTipper,
My very favorite is young’ns..which I call my Grandchildren sometimes…and get a weird look and smile from them..Especially when I say, “Come here young’n!”
I hear and use without thinking that’n..”Hand me that’n!” or “That’n will do.”..
Don’t hear we’uns but the rest I’ve heard many times…
Which is the better English..Are you’ns goin’? or Are yaw’ll goin’?
I ain’t goin’, I’ve done been there twiced today!
Thanks Tipper,