Why do people tend to say 'yeah' instead of 'yes' these days?

[tgt]

I can't help it but I've noticed that everyone these days are saying 'yeah' or 'yep' instead of 'yes', even the elderly. But wasn't always like that? When did 'yeah' start to be commonly used by people.

Is this a sign of changing times or what?

 

[Moonbear]

No change, yeah and yep have been used my whole life. I don't think I've heard too many people say "yes" unless answering questions in court or after spending time in the military, in which case they say to me, "yes ma'am" not just "yes."

 

[B. Elliott]

If I'm being polite to someone who asks me a question, I always say 'yes please' or 'no thankyou'... never do I say 'yeah please' or 'nah thankyou'. To me it just doesn't sound right. Probably just comes down to the way I was raised.

 

[JasonRox]

I'm noticing patterns that threads are generally being about how low-life today's society is.

I meet so many great people. My thoughts about it are a little different. I have good times all the time.I look forward to meeting lots of great people all the time.

Unfortunately there are lots of not so great people. I don't tolerate insecure and emotionally sensitive people. If someone is in a bad relationship and wants to make it work, when half the time the relationship is crap and its based on emotional insecurity, I do exactly what everyone else is afraid to do. I tell them... "The relationship is garbage; you plainly describe it as that. Find someone else and get over your emotional insecurity or else you'll be stuck with this terrible relationship forever. Make it work? Get help."

Haha, I'm like that sometimes, especially when it deals with insecurity. I notice that everyone wants everyone else's reality adjusted for their insecurity. Unfortunately, when they bump into me, they realize my reality is mine and I'm not changing it because some person has terrible coping skills.

Emotions seem to be out of control. I notice they bounce from end to the other in seconds over little things. Rarely things can be discussed without someone being offended.

Good thing I don't really care much if someone gets offended. Rarely people do because when I say something most people wouldn't say, I don't have this "shield of protection" in case they get offended. I notice that other people get "ready" in case they get offended. I don't even flinch when I say things so that the other knows that even if they get offended, I won't care so don't waste your time creating a negative environment (getting offended is considered a negative emotion) when there is a positive environment. It might sound like I'm the one trying to ruin the positive environment, but really I'm not because I'm being sincere and not trying to cater to everyone's little fantasy world to protect them from getting hurt.

When I say the truth when it needs to be said, it's normally not even negative and mostly just neutral but because of habits people picked up, they treat neutral comments as negative ones and now those who make neutral comments put a safeguard up just in case.

Yes, this is also a rant about how sadly our society is being run. I think things like Facebook, Online Dating, MySpace and so on is allowing people NOT to deal with emotions properly because you're suppose to go up and get the feeling of being nervous when asking a girl out. Also, to have challenges meeting people. Or you're suppose to go through a decent amount of work if you want to find someone important and learn to deal with it if you don't. Those are things that happen in life which are good because they're experiences. Without them, life would be dull. Most people will grow up and be like... "so yeah this girl, oh wait I have her on Facebook. I'll show you pictures and the post I made on her wall like 10 years ago." The fact that you have to work a little harder to find someone (i.e. look in phone books, ask old friends, etc...) shows the value of this person. Now, people just post on the wall and say "What's up?" out of nowhere, like old High School friends. Like please, we aren't friends and we are only 24. No need for reunions already.

To sum it up... people need to stop be babies and grow up (emotionally). Most people think growing up (maturely and emotionally) comes by default because you're getting older. I think that's wrong and I think it comes through life experiences. Things like Facebook are robbing a lot of people from those experiences.

 

[rewebster]

If I'm being polite to someone who asks me a question, I always say 'yes please' or 'no thankyou'... never do I say 'yeah please' or 'nah thankyou'. To me it just doesn't sound right. Probably just comes down to the way I was raised.

yeah...----I think that's a big part of it


and, yes, that is quite insightful of you

 

[Evo]

Yep, you got it.

 

[tgt]

Yes, this is also a rant about how sadly our society is being run. I think things like Facebook, Online Dating, MySpace and so on is allowing people NOT to deal with emotions properly because you're suppose to go up and get the feeling of being nervous when asking a girl out. Also, to have challenges meeting people. Or you're suppose to go through a decent amount of work if you want to find someone important and learn to deal with it if you don't. Those are things that happen in life which are good because they're experiences. Without them, life would be dull. Most people will grow up and be like... "so yeah this girl, oh wait I have her on Facebook. I'll show you pictures and the post I made on her wall like 10 years ago." The fact that you have to work a little harder to find someone (i.e. look in phone books, ask old friends, etc...) shows the value of this person. Now, people just post on the wall and say "What's up?" out of nowhere, like old High School friends. Like please, we aren't friends and we are only 24. No need for reunions already.

To sum it up... people need to stop be babies and grow up (emotionally). Most people think growing up (maturely and emotionally) comes by default because you're getting older. I think that's wrong and I think it comes through life experiences. Things like Facebook are robbing a lot of people from those experiences.

Do you have facebook? It does seem like a great way to connect people up who without facebook may never communicate again. This is especially so with old school pals.

Facebook alone is not enough for strong social connections but it can add an extra dimension to your social life. It is more of a bonus to your social life.

 

[JasonRox]

Do you have facebook? It does seem like a great way to connect people up who without facebook may never communicate again. This is especially so with old school pals.

Facebook alone is not enough for strong social connections but it can add an extra dimension to your social life. It is more of a bonus to your social life.

Seriously, it's the biggest joke ever. Why do you need to stay in contact with everyone? Afraid to meet new people?

E-mail is still here. MSN is still here. The purpose of Facebook is purely to display social status. Plain in simple.

 

[symbolipoint]

Many computer programs permit the user to use "y" for "yes", and "n" for "no". With elaborate enough string manipulation algorithms, a programmer can make his program much more tolerant (and this can be a fun exercise). So the program may be able to handle a variety of user's personalities - of different ways of being raised. Actually, this is not how real programs should be designed, since the computer is a machine which must perform precise tasks. [not meant to make the topic drift...]

 

[moose]

The purpose of Facebook is purely to display social status. Plain in simple.

I disagree, but I am not going to derail this thread further.

Im liking how all of these threads lately have been about changes between now and the past.

 

[tgt]

Seriously, it's the biggest joke ever. Why do you need to stay in contact with everyone? Afraid to meet new people?

E-mail is still here. MSN is still here. The purpose of Facebook is purely to display social status. Plain in simple.

Unfortuntately, displaying any sort of status is a natural human tendency. You can still meet new people while maintaining the old ones. And infact that is the best way to increase our social status.

 

[cristo]

Seriously, it's the biggest joke ever. Why do you need to stay in contact with everyone? Afraid to meet new people?

E-mail is still here. MSN is still here. The purpose of Facebook is purely to display social status. Plain in simple.

I disagree with you here. I don't use facebook because I'm afraid to meet new people, but I use it so that I can keep in contact with old friends. Now of course, there are the set of my friends who I do talk to quite regularly, speak to on the phone, through email etc. but then there are a large number of people that I don't. For example, I found out a few weeks ago that one of my friends from high school had got engaged, bought a house etc. Now, she's not a close enough friend such that she'd email me to tell me things like this, but we had a nice chat, exchanged a few messages. It's also a lot less formal than email. When I send an email to someone it usually has a purpose, and is somewhat extended, however I feel I can send facebook messages that aren't so long and "formal."

That might just be me, however: you may have (and probably do have) the entirely different opinion. I do, of course, get people trying to add me that I didn't like in school, and thus don't see why I would add them now-- they are the sorts of people who are just going for social status.

 

[Moonbear]

I do, of course, get people trying to add me that I didn't like in school, and thus don't see why I would add them now-- they are the sorts of people who are just going for social status.

Then again, I've had such people contact me out of the blue via email as well. Sometimes it's a change of heart with maturity that changes their views about you and wants to connect. Some people go to reunions, others just search the web to satisfy their curiosity about where their classmates are now.

 

[LightbulbSun]

I'm noticing patterns that threads are generally being about how low-life today's society is.

I meet so many great people. My thoughts about it are a little different. I have good times all the time.I look forward to meeting lots of great people all the time.

Unfortunately there are lots of not so great people. I don't tolerate insecure and emotionally sensitive people. If someone is in a bad relationship and wants to make it work, when half the time the relationship is crap and its based on emotional insecurity, I do exactly what everyone else is afraid to do. I tell them... "The relationship is garbage; you plainly describe it as that. Find someone else and get over your emotional insecurity or else you'll be stuck with this terrible relationship forever. Make it work? Get help."

Haha, I'm like that sometimes, especially when it deals with insecurity. I notice that everyone wants everyone else's reality adjusted for their insecurity. Unfortunately, when they bump into me, they realize my reality is mine and I'm not changing it because some person has terrible coping skills.

Emotions seem to be out of control. I notice they bounce from end to the other in seconds over little things. Rarely things can be discussed without someone being offended.

Good thing I don't really care much if someone gets offended. Rarely people do because when I say something most people wouldn't say, I don't have this "shield of protection" in case they get offended. I notice that other people get "ready" in case they get offended. I don't even flinch when I say things so that the other knows that even if they get offended, I won't care so don't waste your time creating a negative environment (getting offended is considered a negative emotion) when there is a positive environment. It might sound like I'm the one trying to ruin the positive environment, but really I'm not because I'm being sincere and not trying to cater to everyone's little fantasy world to protect them from getting hurt.

When I say the truth when it needs to be said, it's normally not even negative and mostly just neutral but because of habits people picked up, they treat neutral comments as negative ones and now those who make neutral comments put a safeguard up just in case.

Yes, this is also a rant about how sadly our society is being run. I think things like Facebook, Online Dating, MySpace and so on is allowing people NOT to deal with emotions properly because you're suppose to go up and get the feeling of being nervous when asking a girl out. Also, to have challenges meeting people. Or you're suppose to go through a decent amount of work if you want to find someone important and learn to deal with it if you don't. Those are things that happen in life which are good because they're experiences. Without them, life would be dull. Most people will grow up and be like... "so yeah this girl, oh wait I have her on Facebook. I'll show you pictures and the post I made on her wall like 10 years ago." The fact that you have to work a little harder to find someone (i.e. look in phone books, ask old friends, etc...) shows the value of this person. Now, people just post on the wall and say "What's up?" out of nowhere, like old High School friends. Like please, we aren't friends and we are only 24. No need for reunions already.

To sum it up... people need to stop be babies and grow up (emotionally). Most people think growing up (maturely and emotionally) comes by default because you're getting older. I think that's wrong and I think it comes through life experiences. Things like Facebook are robbing a lot of people from those experiences.

Emotions are a part of being human. It's part of the human equation. Emotional hypersensitivity sucks, but the desensitization of emotion sucks just as much.

And online communities such as MySpace or Facebook are a great way to search for new people. Obviously, strictly talking to them on it and never meeting them in person is pretty wasteful, but it isn't just a medium for staying in touch with some old friends.

 

[edward]

I disagree, but I am not going to derail this thread further.

Im liking how all of these threads lately have been about changes between now and the past.

Every generation has, a or will eventually have, a period of time in their life that they will define as: "the good old days"

 

[ehrenfest]

I can't help it but I've noticed that everyone these days are saying 'yeah' or 'yep' instead of 'yes', even the elderly. But wasn't always like that? When did 'yeah' start to be commonly used by people.

Is this a sign of changing times or what?

When I am answering a question about mathematics (e.g "does this sequence converge uniformly?" or "is the intersection nonempty?") I find that I almost always say yes instead of yeah, or yup, or ahuh. I think "yes" is much stronger way of saying correct than the other versions of affirmation. I think, in general, saying "yes" is a sign of confidence in your response, so I try to use it often.

 

[tgt]

When I am answering a question about mathematics (e.g "does this sequence converge uniformly?" or "is the intersection nonempty?") I find that I almost always say yes instead of yeah, or yup, or ahuh. I think "yes" is much stronger way of saying correct than the other versions of affirmation. I think, in general, saying "yes" is a sign of confidence in your response, so I try to use it often.

It probably depends more on the emotional and psychological state of the person's speech. If the person speaks casually about say functors then the response may also be as casual with a 'yeah'. But if someone was to put in a lot of energy explaining linear functions then you might get 'yes' as a response.