![\"Itchy](\"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/FMe7kOR.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nYou’d think that there would be no simpler words in any language than “yes” and “no.” I mean, those are basically the first words we learn as kids. They can convey a nearly infinite amount of information, and are applicable in an incredible range of scenarios. So they should be universal, right? Well…yes and no.<\/p>\n
Perhaps it’s the very fact that “yes” and “no” are so easily plugged into any language situation that they are deceptively complex. Or perhaps it’s just that since English is the current world’s lingua franca, it leaves most of us westerners unable to imagine a world without those words. Either way, “yes” and “no” are not only complex, they’re not even universal.<\/p>\n
In\u00a0English<\/strong>, as depicted in the comic above, “yes” and “no” are used whether the question asked is negative or positive. In\u00a0German<\/strong>, for example, there isn’t just\u00a0ja<\/em> and\u00a0nein<\/em>, there’s also\u00a0doch<\/em>, which is “yes” in response to a negative question. “You didn’t take the trash out?”\u00a0Doch<\/em> – yes, I did. Similarly,\u00a0French<\/strong> doesn’t have just\u00a0oui<\/em> and\u00a0non<\/em>, but also\u00a0si<\/em>, which serves the same purpose as\u00a0doch<\/em>. Apparently English used to have\u00a0yea<\/em> and\u00a0nay\u00a0<\/em>for positively-framed questions, while\u00a0yes<\/em> and\u00a0no<\/em> were meant for negative ones, but they got buried under history.<\/p>\n Other languages have more complex relationships with “yes” and “no.” In\u00a0Gailic<\/strong>, there are no words for “yes” and “no.” If you want to answer a question positively or negatively, you have to refer to the verb in the question itself. This unique property has found its way into the Irish English-speaking accent, as well: “Have you been to the pub?” “I haven’t.” “Did you see Seamus?” “I did.” In\u00a0Thai<\/strong>, there isn’t really a word for “no.” But there is a word for “yes”: \u0e43\u0e0a\u0e48, or\u00a0chai<\/em>. The only way to say “no” is\u00a0\u0e44\u0e21\u0e48\u0e43\u0e0a\u0e48, or\u00a0mai-chai<\/em>. Basically: “not-yes” (it’s an oversimplification, but that’s the idea). In Greek<\/strong>, the word\u00a0\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9<\/em>\u00a0(“ne”) means “yes,” where in Croatian<\/strong> and\u00a0Serbian<\/strong>, the same word means “no.”\u00a0And in\u00a0Polish<\/strong>, confusingly, “no” means “yes.”<\/a>\u00a0That is, the word\u00a0no<\/em> is slang for a casual “yes,” like “yeah.” I can only imagine the linguistic and cultural misadventures that’s led to.<\/p>\n How about in the language you’re learning? Any yes-and-no oddities worth mentioning?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “Yes” and “no” are not as simple as they might at first appear. Here are a few of the ways in which they can vary greatly across languages. You’d think that there would be no simpler words in any language than “yes” and “no.” I mean, those are basically the first words we learn as…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2016\/12\/FMe7kOR-350x291.png\")