Revised as of
8 Jan 2023
I don’t know why I never pursued the yes before. Lord knows I’ve been uncomfortable with texting yeah as a thumbs-up response. There had to be something better. And, yay, I found it! The yeas are in, and I’m going all yay-happy.
More of the Affirmative
With English such a rich language, there are a number of ways to be positive AND convey a mood. Think about it. Put that imagination to work and consider a scene in which a character responds with a moody all right, a sarcastic sure, or a few obsequious of courses or absolutelys. Indeed and very well conjure up images of a stiff conservative type while yes, indeedy makes me think of Dr. Who.
Roger, aye, way, a-okay, and aye aye give it that military flavor. For the much more casual touch — yep, yup, ya, uh-huh, okay, OK, okey-dokey, okey-doke, and ‘k — are quite useful.
By all means, there are more words that give a business-like feeling or of that between equals such as certainly, right, affirmative, in the affirmative, and agreed. And lord only knows how many more are out there. So have fun!
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
If you found this post on “Yay, Yea, Yeah, or Yes?” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Yay | Yea | Yeah | Yes |
|---|---|---|---|
São Paulo and Corinthians by Tales.ebner is his own work and in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — It is a crowd of “yays”, but they seem rather subdued. |
Representative Sam Mitchell by photographer Donn Dughi is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Representatives Sam Mitchell and Andrew Johnson vote “Yea” on a bill. |
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah . . . |
Thumbs Up by VistaICO.com (VistaICO Toolbar Icons) is under the CC BY 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — A “thumbs up” is a nonverbal way to say “yes”. |
| Part of Grammar: | |||
| Adverb 1; Exclamation 2 Variant spelling: yea |
Adverb; Noun
Plural for the noun: yeas Variant spelling: yay |
Adverb; Exclamation; Noun Plural for the noun: yeahs Variant spelling: yea, yeh, yes |
Adverb; Exclamation; Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun: yeses, yesses Third person present verb: yeses, yesses |
| A cheer
Adverb: [North American; informal; with adjectives of measure] So 1
Exclamation: |
A formal yes in voting
Adverb: [Archaic or formal] Yes
Indeed Not only this but even Noun:
|
Casual yes
Adverb: [Informal] Yes Exclamation: Noun: |
Base yes
Adverb: Used to express agreement in answer to a question, request, or offer or with an earlier statement Used to introduce a phrase with greater emphasis or clearness Used to show uncertainty or polite interest Used to indicate excitement Exclamation:
Used as a response to someone addressing one or otherwise trying to attract one’s attention Used to question a remark or ask for more detail about it
Encouraging someone to continue speaking Expressing delight Noun: Verb, transitive:
|
| Examples: | |||
| Adverb: I knew him when he was yay big. I dunno. I reckon he was about yay high . . . The doll is about yay high. Exclamation: Yay! I’m so happy for you. And yay to teachers who actually teach. |
Adverb: She has the right to say yea or nay. He was full, yea, crammed with anxieties. Yea, and he did come. He was a good, yea, a noble man. How say you? Yea or nay? Yea, though thou dost spurn me, I shall come about. Noun: The yeas have it. Let your yea be yea and your nay be nay. |
Adverb: “Will you cook dinner tonight?” “Yeah, sure.” “You remember the person, yeah, she’s the one handing off that data to be argued over by Google and advertisers” (Williams). “Are you ready?” “Yeah, I’m ready.” Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll do it. Exclamation: Yeah! We did it! Yeah, all right, I’ll come. Noun: This is the year of yeah. We got that, like, ya know, that yeah connection. |
Adverb: “Are you ready?” “Yes, I am.” Yes, I think you are right. We are glad, yes, very glad to see you! Yes? Who’s there? Yes, what can I do for you? Yes! We won! Exclamation: “That was a grand evening.” “Yes, it was.” “You don’t want to go.” “Yes, I do.” “Oh, Mr. Lawrence.” “Yes?” “It should be easy to check.” You think I perhaps killed Westbourne, yes? “When you bought those photographs . . .” “Yes?” Ooh, plenty to eat, including hot roast beef sandwiches (yes!). “Did it come as a surprise to you?” “Yes and no.” Noun: His answer is yes. We need a yes to take immediate action. Verb, transitive: Yes, do it. All that yessing and noing was going to give me a headache. |
| Derivatives: | |||
| Noun: aye | Adverb: ay, aye Exclamation: yessir, yessiree |
||
| History of the Word: | |||
|
Before 900, Old English gēa or gē is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch and the German ja.
Middle English ye, ya. |
American English, colloquial, by 1863, from a drawling pronunciation of yes.
1900-05 as a variant of yea or yes. |
Old English gēse or gīse is probably from an unrecorded phrase meaning may it be so. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Yay, Yea, Yeah, or Yes?
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: yeah
The Free Dictionary: yesses
Williams, Kirk. “This Decade’s Most Important Marketing Question: What data rights do advertisers possess?” Search Engine Land. 17 Sept 2020. Web. 8 Jan 2023. <https://searchengineland.com/this-decades-most-important-marketing-question-what-data-rights-do-advertisers-possess-340738>.
Other Resources
You may want to check out the Oxford University Press’ posts, “22 ways to say yes” and (don’t it just figure?) “29 ways to say no“.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Gabe’s Birthday by Twice25 is under the CC-BY 1.0 license; =Felix the Cat, <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Felix_the_cat.svg>, by Otto Messmer, converted to vector by Tom Edwards, is in the public domain; China Ceramics Red Plate by Rosemania is under the CC-BY 2.0 license; and, Party Hat by Salix is under the CC-BY 3.0 license; all are via Wikimedia Commons.
