What does "y'all" mean?

How y'all doin'?

Have y'all ever heard of the word "y'all"? This useful term is known worldwide, however sometimes people do not know what it really means. Here you go:

Y'all is a portmanteau, a combination, of two words "you all", which is, basically, the plural of "you". We already know that the personal pronoun "you" can be used in singular and plural forms, but how would you know which is which?

i.e.: You are learning about words in English. and
You are learning about words in English.

Are they the same sentence? How can you differentiate one from the other in terms of number (singular, plural)?

That's why Americans have made up(created) the word "y'all". It is a great and short way to say "you" when it comes to plural sentences. It has been spoken by most southern American people such as those from Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Georgia(Particular English)...Yet, nowadays, rappers have made "y'all" famous. African Americans generally use the word "y'all" as well.

Y'all dig? = Did you all understand it?

See all of y'all soon!

Rodrigo Pelegrini Honorato
ESL Teacher
rphingles@yahoo.com.br