[Patrick-F]

When some black males are being interviewed on a TV spot, after every sentence they say "Know what I'm sayin'?" Why do they say this? Do they think we do not understand, or that we are not listening?

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Name : Patrick-F, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 75, City : Poultney, State : VT Country : United States, Occupation : Retired, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Mandi]

It's funny you would ask this when just today, I was watching Judge Mills Lane and there were two Latina-Americans who kept saying 'you know' after everything they said, even after the judge pointed out that he 'didn't know.' And last week, there was a white couple on who kept saying 'like' every other word. While not grammatically necessary, these and other such phrases have become interjections in contemporary American English. It always seems to bother the old people, though.

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Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Sara28361]

People who constantly say 'like', 'y'know', 'innit' or similar,are just demonstrating their own low level of education. This is not a racial thing, it is an intelligence thing. While they may annoy us, we should feel sorry for them. I agree with you, Patrick, it is incredibly annoying, and it does not only annoy older people - I'm not even twenty-eight and it drives me round the bend. !

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Name : Sara28361, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Methodist, Age : 27, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Writer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[David]

Other phrases I have heard are the following: (1) 'this and that'; (2) 'she goes / he goes' (instead of she said / he said); (3) 'what's up?' (which has mutated from 'wassup' to the now infamous 'wazzuuup!'); (4) 'yada, yada, yada' (ala the TV sit-com 'Seinfeld'); (5) 'whatever' (which is now more like 'what..everrrr!'); (6) 'oh please' (which is now 'oh pllleeease!'). It seems like most of this new city lingo is just a rhythmic twist or spin on a prior phrase, usually influenced by popular culture.

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Name : David, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian-American, Age : 27, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Law Clerk, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[MIKE20431]

BY YOUNG BLACKS SAYING' KNOW WHAT I'M SAYIN' IS EQUIVALENT TO WHEN 50 YEARS AGO WHITE CAUCASIANS USED TO SAY NIGGA...THERE NO REASON WHY WE SAY IT... IT'S JUST A PHRASE THAT COMES OUT NATURALLY, ONLY OURS DOES NOT BELITTLE ANYONE...KNOW WHAT I'M SAYIN???

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Name : MIKE20431, Age : 25, City : BROOKLYN, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : STUDENT, 

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