"Ya Know What I'm Sayin", "Ya Feel Me" And Similar Sayings In African American Vernacular English (Comments from a YouTube Discussion Thread)

Edited by Azizi Powell 

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on "Ya know what I'm sayin", "Ya feel me", and similar sayings in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). 

This post presents some examples of these sayings that are found at the end of some African American Vernacular English (AAVE) sentences or used by themselves in AAVE. A few comments also document the same use or similar uses of these sayings in some other dialects throughout the world. 

All of these comments are from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMS70m-OzXo&t=1s "DIFFERENT AMERICAN HOOD ACCENTS AND DIALECTS" by CharlieBo313, Oct. 14, 2019. 

This YouTube video consists of brief clips of street interviews conducted by an unseen African American male with young African American males in various United States cities. This video is Part I of a two part series. 

Part II of that video series can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xUUaqfCCcw , published by CharlieBo313 on Oct 10, 2020.

No comments from Part II of that video series are included in this pancocojams post. However, some of the clips from Part II of that video feature  African American males in (mostly) additional United States cities using the types of sentences that are the focus of this pancocojams series.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-history-of-ya-know-what-im-sayin-ya.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents my speculation and online excerpts about the history of sayings such as "Ya know what I'm sayin", "Ya feel me", and similar sayings in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and why they are used in AAVE. 

The content of this post is presented for linguistic and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to CharlieBo313*, the interviewer, producer, and publisher of the YouTube video whose discussion thread is partially quoted  quoted in this post.

*A commenter in this video's discussion thread shared that CharlieBo313 is from Paterson, New Jersey. 

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SHOWCASE VIDEO - "DIFFERENT AMERICAN HOOD ACCENTS AND DIALECTS

CharlieBo313, Oct. 14, 2019. 
-snip-
Total # of views as of January 7, 2024 at 8:00 PM EDT =  10,282,077

WARNING: This video includes profanity and the use of what is now commonly referred to as "the n word".

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TIME STAMP FOR PEOPLE FROM CERTAIN CITIES WHO ARE FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO 
@bookwormgirl000, 2022

"0:00 Cleveland/East Cleveland, OH

0:08 Detroit, MI

0:59 Chicago, IL

2:09 Memphis, TN

3:04 Clarksdale, MS

3:33 Jackson, MS

4:46 Little Rock/Conway, AR

5:36 New Orleans, LA

7:25 Dallas, TX

8:32 Compton, CA (Los Angeles area)

9:20 Inglewood, CA (Los Angeles area)

11:21 Atlanta, GA

12:10 Pittsburgh, PA

13:02 Philadelphia, PA

14:26 Brooklyn, NY

15:59 Jersey City, NJ

17:04 Toronto, Ontario, Canada"

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SELECTED COMMENTS from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMS70m-OzXo&t=1s

Pancocojams Editor's Note:  
"Ya know what I'm sayin", "Ya feel me" and other similar sayings are mostly used in spoken communication. Written examples of these sayings are mostly strung together parts of the words that make up those sayings or other approximations of how those words sound together. There's no "correct" way of spelling these sayings in AAVE.

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These comments are numbered for referencing purposes only. 

1. @RenR70, 2019
" “You know what I’m sayin” is pretty much universal hood talk."

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2. @vitamin3076, 2019
"gnome sayin"

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3. @ogbbq2261, 2019
"dandagod official that’s how we say it in Miami or quickly like a Jamaican youCme"

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4. @kd3655, 2019
"Any derivative of that....Nahmean....yuheard.... u dig wat im sayn"

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5. @RenR70, 2019
"The InvictusSamaritan   Here in the Bay Area it’s “u feel me” "

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6. @theinvictussamaritan4778, 2019
"RenR70 except us in New Orleans we say “ya hear me” or “ya dig” "

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7. @brownie4032, 2019
"RenR70 you feel me"

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8. @jarrellrandolph1392, 2019
"On god I say that sh-t* a million times"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

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9. @user-nx8rj4vx2e, 2019
"RenR70 In Nc it’s “you feel me” too"

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10. @iamdevron, 2019
"Yeah it’s more so how they say it, not what they say"

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11. @isntshelovelyy,2019
"The InvictusSamaritan we say that in the bay 🤣"
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12. @andrettitalk9535, 2019
"And that goes for every skin color in America. You can find Italian and Jewish street people who'll always say that at the end of their sentence in NYC, Boston, Philly etc in the North East."

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13. @fargieindra86, 2019
"Knowemsayin to be precise."

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14. @jorhop4005, 2019
"@ogbbq2261  Jamaicans say "ya zimme" which is you see me. People also say it in Miami, I remember hearing it on Iceberg's songs."

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15. @sxat_0368, 2019
"New Orleans: ya heard me?"

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16.  @officialxanitymusic7624, 2019
"Facts"

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17. @broadstork, 2019
"Nam seyn"

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18. @amariondilworth4703, 2019
"yanasane"

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19. @747REDFELLA1, 2019
"Slang came from the Bay Area you feel me"

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20. @user-cc6vl2gk7c, 2019
"RenR70 nah mean homie"

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21. @nathanjones9920, 2019
"Nham'sayin"

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22. @eldropout7400, 2019
"RenR70 knawmsayin"

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23. @MotherViksChaat, 2019
"Yaddamean"

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24. @ocerco93, 2019
"Im from tough hood in france, we saying it too actually, not that much tho, u guys saying like its Tourette Syndrome Ha ha. And for us its literally '' Ya see what i'm saying ? " "

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25. @whybother4156, 2019
"That’s how London and Essex geezers talk I cant read that without hearing it in Danny Dyers voice lol"

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26. @soundtorial4567, 2019
"We also saypretty much the same thing Here in Berlin, Germany haha Sh-t* is global"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

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27. @cityshane1,2019
"Yea there's a lot of different versions of that, in the bay area in nor Cal we say yadadamean,  ya dig, ya understand me, ya feel me, ya smell me, and more, the lingo changes alot"

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28. @jen6224, 2019
"RenR70 or “you feel me” "

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29. @jen6224, 2019
"new york got allat^^"

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30. @jikkohenos6087,2019
"RenR70 jersey city you know what i mean"

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31. @jeremiahofissachar8138,2019
"Comprende"

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32. @cmajorscales, 2019
" “Yuh fimme” “Yum sayin” "

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33. @tonetone8915, 2019
"Hawaii is "you know what I mean?"

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34. @RenR70, 2019
"Rich white people say - “and do you know what it is I am saying to you”

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35. @jamariongholston9837, 2019
"RenR70 rather “namsayin”or “you know” "

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36. @cmajorscales, 2019 
"Yuh fimme” “Yum sayin” "

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37. @Depplova81, 2019
"I'm originally from St.Louis living in Dundee, Scotland. I hear it quite a bit here and Glasgow.👌"

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38.@zazimazee6171, 2019
"RenR70 in not even from the hood and I say that often lmao 😭"

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39. @DjR3aper, 2021
"nah mean?"

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40. @ThePrinceOfSanDiego, 2021
"Nahmean"

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41. @antoniskor3123, 2021 
"U know what I’m sayinnn"

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42. @hunchoqua3x993, 2021
"I think it came from Texas personally bc we say it the most i think Houston started it"

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43. @ii954, 2021
"@kd3655  In Cali we say yuhDig?"

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44. @AK-jy3pe, 2021
"GB: “you get me” "

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45. @DS2K06, 2022
"@AK-jy3pe  🇨🇦: you know?"

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46. @jz4619, 2022
"@AK-jy3pe  Ireland aswell"

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47. @Rokiotop900, 2022
" "Me entendes?" In El Salvador"

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48. @p_sm00th82, 2019
"Every hood  has a different way/slogan/saying of “do you understand me” lmaooo (ya herd meh, nah sayin, ya feel me, ya digg, real talk etc ) lol"

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49. @watupman789, 2019
"Lol Atlanta is “ya know I’m talm bout?” "

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50. @1Skorpia, 2019
"@Nooskilo  "feel me?" That's what  I hear"

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51. @jayskir, 2019
"Bay Area we say yaaaheardd , yaamsayin"

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52. @ProxityProductions, 2019
"Ya undadan"

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53. @aaprii333, 2019
"NY says "nah'mean"? As in "do u know what I mean"?😂😂"

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54. @heckinbasedandinkpilledoct7459, 2019
"Louisiana: ya heard me"

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55. !AzariW8, 2019
"Fr fr"

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56. @thesharinganknight9859, 2021
"@watupman789  and ya digg, and nah for real"

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57. @PedroGonzalez-ub9dl, 2019
"I'm from Cali..dudes from Compton say that like crazy"

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58.@VanderBroski, 2019
"I knew it was New Orleans as soon as I heard “yerd meh”😂"

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59. @Me-qe5sr, 2019
"Facts🤣😂🤣🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️"

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60. @trentonclark9747, 2019
"Yah herd meh"

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61. @MiMiLock58, 2020
"ya dig what im sayin"

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62. @jjjjermie, 2020
"atl ni-ga* switched it up with "ya diggg what im sayingg" LMAOOO"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

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63. @jjjjermie, 2020
" Tuff Ed Boi  nah jamaicans say "yuh zimmi" "

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64. @jorhop4005, 2020
"Blondeadcraig  we say both, and we say "yuh zeet" zeet is see it."

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65. @TheStarForge, 2020
"Its in every dialect in America. I am from Chicago but hey, my mom from Maryland says it too."

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66. @genesiskravitz8621, 2020
"New York: “naw mean?”

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67. @devonterobinson8757, 2020
"Except New Orleans “yaheardme” “ya digg” "

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68.@abdben1101, 2020
"U herrme , namsayn"

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69. @whathano.9739, 2020
"In the Caribbean ( or Trinidad at least ) we say “ent?” Which basically just means “ right?” "

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70. @tink6225, 2020
"wordd"

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71. @ianjohnson3840, 2020
"In Philly its "you nam'sayin"

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72/ @jaytee5693, 2021
"Here in FL is nolmtalmbaut.

"Know what I'm talm bout"

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73. @taleighshacinto33, 2021
"New York:"naaahmeeeean"

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74. @overdrive7349, 2022
" "I know what you're saying, you don't have to keep asking." - Butters.

 I'm sorry, but the law of comedy said I had to do it. Lol"

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75. @zaziorambero1179, 2022
"Ya dig"

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76. @user-xb4fm5rx8h, 2023
"In Philly it’s “yamean” or “yimsayin” in one word😂"

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77.@matttyler8331, 2023
"Yaheardme is a staple in New Orleans, if you hear Yaheardme at the end of a sentence, that person is from NOLA"

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78. @natanne, 2023
" "Ya know what I mean?"... Said in every single city. Lol"

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79. @rileybeemusic, 2023
"….. you know what I’m saying?

……… you know what I’m saying?

….. you know what I’m saying?

……… you know what I’m saying?

…….. you know what I’m saying?

…. You know what I’m saying?

…. You know what I’m saying?

 

Wild."

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80. @rinrin0543, 2023

"All I here is “YOU KNOW WHAT IM SAYIN”

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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

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Visitor comments are welcome.