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[miles]

Ya and Yeah have essentially the same meaning. I get irritable at people who use yeah when they mean yay!

I mean they spell 'yeah' y-a. To me they are two words that mean the same thing. They are treating ya as an alternate spelling of yeah. Don't ask why this bothers me.

[theinevitable]

my friends and I often literally say "yeah!" when we mean "yay." Like, "oh yeah!"

Or do you mean like in court proceedings where they say "yeah (pronounced yay)" or "nay."

all of this typing of the word has made me decide that "yeah" is a really good word.

[pmcd9]

I mean like "Did you wash the dishes?" "Yeah." "We're having ice cream for dessert." "Yay!" In that scenario those words have different meanings are are pronounced differently. I don't think they are interchangeable, but I see people frequently using yeah when they mean yay.

[wombat]

I have always assumed that it was a spelling error when I saw "yeah" when I expected "yay" - if an understandable one because we don't get taught to spell stuff that's that colloquial - but now from what Inev says, it looks like some people are actually using those words in a way I don't, so those people could mean exactly what they're spelling.

It is amazing what a mess English spelling is. We really didn't deserve to be the dominant world language, exactly how Microsoft didn't deserve to be the dominant world operating system. It has nothing to do with being well-designed for the task, it's just an accident of history. Oh well, at least it isn't Japanese.

[Choop]

lexicon valley came back from hiatus recently. there's an episode on language weirdness, and it doesn't involve bob garfield. it's a good episode.

[miles]

Or do you mean like in court proceedings where they say "yeah (pronounced yay)" or "nay."

That word is yea, right? It means the same thing as yeah but pronounced yay.

[AugustWest]

That word is yea, right? It means the same thing as yeah but pronounced yay.

It rhymes with "Jough".

[jaydub]

Maybe there is a continuum of affirmative enthusiasm.
"Did you know the New York Times has decreased the white space in their layouts?"
"Yeah"

"There are still some seats available in the 8:30 showing of Despicable Me"
"Yay!"

"You've won an all-expenses paid trip to see U2 perform in Munich!"
"Yeah!" (Also spelled Jeah! if you're a douche Olympic swimmer).

[Carlos del Vaca]

"Ya" is for when you're pretending to be German or Swedish.

[Choop]

isn't that "Ja" ? not "Jah" that's jamaican. "Ya" is shorthand for "you" as in "how ya doin"

[KeithHernandez]

Jahmaica my friend.

[miles]

It rhymes with "Jough".

Jough like slough or Jough like slough? I always forget.

[jaydub]

Careful, don't look in the mirror when you're typing like that.

[wombat]

Two really great links that belong here.
We need to talk about literally
How To Be A Reasonable Prescriptivist

[wombat]

"Comment below with your best caption for adoptable Taffy. The comment with the most likes by noon this Friday will be made into a meme"

No. You can't make a meme, something becomes a meme. Like you can't make a viral video, you make a video and maybe it becomes viral. But apparently this has become the word for "photo with caption pasted on it."

OK I know language change is inevitable but sometimes even I get pissed off. No. Just no.