yeah

Etymology

From a variation of yea, itself from Middle English ya, ye, from Old English ġēa (“yes”), from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes; thus, so”), from Proto-Indo-European *yē (“already”). Cognate with West Frisian ja, Dutch ja, German ja, Danish ja, Norwegian Bokmål ja, Norwegian Nynorsk ja and Swedish ja, Icelandic já.^[1]

Interestingly, although perhaps merely coincidentally, modern English yeah seems to possess nearly the same pronunciation as its Old English ancestor (Old English ġēa being /jæːɑ/, Modern English yeah being [jɛə̯] or [jæə̯]) and consequently has really no other words that rhyme with it in rhotic dialects. The reason behind its seeming lack of pronunciation shift is uncertain — although it is quite possible that it simply evolved from a dialectal form of yea which developed a centring diphthong — as other words that had similar pronunciations in Old English did shift in pronunciation. It is alternatively possible that, due to its constant use (and its never being accepted as a formal term), its pronunciation has remained rigidly in place.

Alternative (but less likely) etymology derives yeah from a drawling pronunciation of yes. For further etymology, see yes.^[2]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jɛə̯], [jɛ.ə], or [jæə̯]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə

Particle

yeah (not comparable)

1. (informal) Yes.

Interjection

yeah

1. Expressing joy, celebration, glee, etc.

   Yeah! We did it!

See also

• yes

References

Anagrams

• Haye, haye, heya