how?
why did it change to yeah instead of some other possible similar sounds like
ye
yez
ess
ye
etc.
why did it change to yeah instead of some other possible similar sounds like
ye
yez
ess
ye
etc.
How did yes evolve into yeah
I don't know, but I suspect it didn't actually evolve from yes. Yea (pronounced "yay") has long been a formal term for assent, and the German ja ("yah") is identical in meaning to "yes". I would guess that a form of ja has always existed alongside yes, yea, yay, yep, yup, and the like. It's not like we just have one single word for yes -- we seem to like keeping a few of them around.
According to Dictionary.com:
yes: [Origin: bef. 900; ME yes, yis, OE gése (adv. and n.), prob. equiv. to géa yea + sī be it (pres. subj. sing. of béon to be)]
yeah: [Origin: 1900–05; var. of yea or yes]
yea: [Origin: bef. 900; ME ye, ya, OE géa; c. D, G, ON, Goth ja]
yes: [Origin: bef. 900; ME yes, yis, OE gése (adv. and n.), prob. equiv. to géa yea + sī be it (pres. subj. sing. of béon to be)]
yeah: [Origin: 1900–05; var. of yea or yes]
yea: [Origin: bef. 900; ME ye, ya, OE géa; c. D, G, ON, Goth ja]
>> Is it not an English pick up from languages like German and Swedish? <<
No, it's not a loan word. German and Swedish as well as English all evolved from a common ancestor: the Proto-Germanic language.
No, it's not a loan word. German and Swedish as well as English all evolved from a common ancestor: the Proto-Germanic language.
Is it true that it is the Americans who started to say "yeah" but by and by they came back to "yes" and now "yeah" is used mostly in England?
<<Is it not an English pick up from languages like German and Swedish?>>
I think "yeah" is native; but Travis has pointed out that in parts of the Upper Midwest some people use "yah", a borrowing from German or North Germanic.
The word "yeah" itself can have some variation: it can be pronounced [jE@] (or [jE:], etc. - with the same vowel as non-rhotic "square"), which I think is predominant in Britain and also present in some US dialects; but in the US it's also pronounced ["j{] (or [j{:], [j{@], etc. - with the same vowel as "trap").
I think "yeah" is native; but Travis has pointed out that in parts of the Upper Midwest some people use "yah", a borrowing from German or North Germanic.
The word "yeah" itself can have some variation: it can be pronounced [jE@] (or [jE:], etc. - with the same vowel as non-rhotic "square"), which I think is predominant in Britain and also present in some US dialects; but in the US it's also pronounced ["j{] (or [j{:], [j{@], etc. - with the same vowel as "trap").
>>I think "yeah" is native; but Travis has pointed out that in parts of the Upper Midwest some people use "yah", a borrowing from German or North Germanic.<<
At least here in southeastern Wisconsin, the two actually exist as a doublet, with both "yeah" [ˈjɛ̞ː]/[ˈjɛː]/[ˈjɛ̯æ] and "yah" [ˈjaː] being used very heavily. Such does have some local variation, though; I remember my mother saying that she had never used "yah" [ˈjaː] when she lived in Kenosha and only picked such up after moving to the Milwaukee area. Also, very commonly people do not recognize "yah" as being a distinct word, with respect to etymology at least, from "yeah" but rather just think of it as a pronunciation of "yeah" and do not think of it as being a loan if they notice it at all.
At least here in southeastern Wisconsin, the two actually exist as a doublet, with both "yeah" [ˈjɛ̞ː]/[ˈjɛː]/[ˈjɛ̯æ] and "yah" [ˈjaː] being used very heavily. Such does have some local variation, though; I remember my mother saying that she had never used "yah" [ˈjaː] when she lived in Kenosha and only picked such up after moving to the Milwaukee area. Also, very commonly people do not recognize "yah" as being a distinct word, with respect to etymology at least, from "yeah" but rather just think of it as a pronunciation of "yeah" and do not think of it as being a loan if they notice it at all.