misuse of "decimated"

**Wareyin** · 7th January 16, 05:17 AM

Originally Posted by ForresterModern

We have dear friends from a couple hours south of us (native Tennesseans) who use the y'all and all y'all singular/plural as I described and swear by it, even getting confused when a "part time" hillbilly like me uses y'all incorrectly (in their minds) as plural but politely waiting for the clarification rather than correcting me.

When I've gone north into Tennessee, Chattanooga area, y'all is plural. Same with Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. As I said, I've never heard a native southerner use y'all as a singular.

**Pleater** · 7th January 16, 10:14 AM

I've been reading y'all as a 'thorn' - spoken as 'th', and getting confused.

Not much change there then.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**slothead** · 7th January 16, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Pleater

I've been reading y'all as a 'thorn' - spoken as 'th', and getting confused.

Not much change there then.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

Now you've got me confused Anne!

**Pleater** · 7th January 16, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by slothead

Now you've got me confused Anne!

In older styles of English lettering there was a letter which was much like a Y, but a bit curlier, and it was said 'th' - as in thee, not three. It was called a 'thorn'.

A lot of the time when 'ye' is written on a sign - Ye Copper Kettle tea rooms is the classic - it should be read as 'The'.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**tpa** · 7th January 16, 06:14 PM

Basically, I'm surprise no one has mentioned "basically".

A word used all too frequently when precisely the opposite is what they are describing.

**Tarheel** · 7th January 16, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by Pleater

A lot of the time when 'ye' is written on a sign - Ye Copper Kettle tea rooms is the classic - it should be read as 'The'

I understood 'ye' to mean (the public's) or original but I can see how it would be singular.

**SPS tools** · 8th January 16, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by ForresterModern

Sorry, as a doctor I am always using the medical spelling of synonyms like plural (more than one) and pleural (the thin lining tissue surrounding the lungs) as my brain spends 90% of the day on mental medical "call".

I think you're referring to 'homophones' (same sound, different spelling, different meaning).

EDIT: Oops! I didn't read the rest of the thread before responding. Didn't mean to pile on.

**DWFII** · 8th January 16, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by Tarheel

I understood 'ye' to mean (the public's) or original but I can see how it would be singular.

Not to put too fine a point on it but I think Pleater was referring to the fact that "Ye" is kind of an archaic usage that is misunderstood. It never was pronounced "Ye" it was always pronounced "The". Nor did it ever mean "you" or "original".

The reason is that the ancient Old English letter "thorn" looked like a curly "y" (like this:

--can you see that on your computer?

or y^e was the abbreviation for "the").

Fascinating stuff, really. I think there's four or five of these old medieval letters (eth, ash, thorn, yogh) that have been abandoned or superseded over the centuries.