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)Â 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.”
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Hope you’ll leave me a comment and tell me if you’re familiar with the examples in this lesson.
Tipper
I 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.
I’ve used young’uns but hadn’t heard of most of the others. My thing is dropping the “g” such as, cookin’, grillin’, etc.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard we’uns but I’ve definitely heard the others!
I enjoyed that.
I hope you are safe and sound and that Irene leaves you alone.
Know ’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!
I am familiar with all of them and grew up hearing them all the time.
I’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
I’ve heard part of them, in days past. There were also, his’un and her’un.
I always enjoy these grammar lessons.
My 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…
Well, I’ve used young’uns before, but I think that’s universal. The rest — have never heard. 🙂
I 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.
I grew up with these words! Thought that was just normal til I moved to Atlanta…They told me yellow was not pronounced yella
All of them except ” we’uns or nary’un “……but they are truly disappearing, sad to say.
Tipper,
I just realized I speak fluent Appalachian!
I love this post and it is one of the best’uns yet!
I 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.
Tipper,
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
Yu’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.
Mostly say ya’ll and never say we’uns. The rest i use quiet often.
In 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”
Never use youns, but have heard it used. We say younguns, littleuns, bigguns olduns and uglyuns.
I 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!
Heard all of them — but the most likely for me to use is little’uns.
Love
Growed up lisnin to em.
Never 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!
Tipper,
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
Add this’un. Don’t think I have heard nary’n, only nary a one.
Young’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!”
all familiar from my past, but not heard here in Florida and not by me for about 50 years now
Though I’ve never used we’uns or nary’un the rest are good’uns.
Tipper, 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.
very 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
I’ve heard all of them…and use some of them myself.
I 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
Yes, 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.
Tipper–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.
I have heard’m all and said’m all LOL
Tipper,
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,