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Actually use of "y'all" or its equivalent can be very helpful.
In English, as we all know, the second person plural is the same as the third person plural in both the nominative and objective case. So, it can be ambiguous, at times when there is not sufficient context, to know if "you" is singular or plural when you're reading something or hearing someone speak.
BTW--in earlier times in Modern English, there were distinct words for the singular in the nominative and objective case--"thee" and "thou." "Thou" was the nominative singular and "thee" was the objective singular. Most of know of their use in the King James Bible. Alas, they disappeared, at some point, from colloquial usage. It would be interesting to know why, since their use can be helpful.
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