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Is Ye a word?

  • 20-09-2003 1:38am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,984 ✭✭✭✭


    Right having a discussion, is Ye a word. I always get the píss takin out of me for using it in england. Yet I am convinced it is the Plural of you.


    Like How are Ye? when speaking to more then one person. Can someone tell me for sure.

    John


    Are Ye coming to the cinema.... just another example incase you didn't get the jist of it first time around.


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 1,676 ✭✭✭ArphaRima


    Pronunciation: 'yE
    Function: pronoun
    Etymology: Middle English, from Old English gE; akin to Old High German ir you -- more at YOU
    Date: before 12th century
    : YOU 1 -- used orig. only as a plural pronoun of the second person in the subjective case and now used especially in ecclesiastical or literary language and in various English dialects


    -It would appear so. Would never have believed it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,984 ✭✭✭✭Lump


    Wh00t I was right..... is Wh00t a word (joking)



    john


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,730 ✭✭✭✭simu


    A very useful word it is too, I don't know how the English manage without an equivalent:)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,945 ✭✭✭D-Generate


    Most people I know in Cork use it except the skangers. I find it hard to say "How are you?" to a group and instead say "how are ye?" so that the question is directed at many rather than one.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭Talliesin


    It wouldn't be received modern English, but it is a perfectly valid dialect word.

    It's interesting that many dialects have a plural form of "you", such as "ye", "youse" and "y'all". The lack of a plural form frequently proves an inconvenience and so dialects often either invent a plural, or else retain "ye". As well as being used in much of Ireland, "ye" is used in many areas of England as well, indeed even "thou" is retained in some areas.

    There is also archaic (or more often pseudo-archaic) definite article "ye" which is a variation on "þe". But that is a completely different word.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,713 ✭✭✭Praetorian


    'ye'

    When I was young, I used to laugh at my self proclaimed 'Corkonian English teacher' because he frequently used it. I use 'ye' quite a lot on the net these days because it is correct English, and it's quicker than saying, 'how are you guys'.

    In Dublin 'youse' is quite common, and I must admit I was annoyed with myself one day when I noticed myself saying it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,284 ✭✭✭dubhthach


    well you got to remember in hiberno-english we tend to use terms that have become obselote in standard-english so it's no wonder ye is quite common in speech
    eg.
    cog (as in cheat in exam), bowsie, delph


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 359 ✭✭Macseamusa


    i quitew like the word ye, it certainly beats hearing how r youse with a dublin skanger accent.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,608 ✭✭✭✭sceptre


    Originally posted by Talliesin
    There is also archaic (or more often pseudo-archaic) definite article "ye" which is a variation on "þe". But that is a completely different word.
    Ah, ye oldie worldie englishie shoppey


    (I'm kidding, don't hit me. I feel like slapping people who do the oldie worldie thing)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 681 ✭✭✭Kopf


    It's completely archaic and although I'd never pull someone up for saying it, writing it is a different story.

    "Yiz", however, is a different story. I spit on people who say that. Idiots.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,506 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    I use it quite often, but then again, I am from Cork :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,267 ✭✭✭Exit


    Originally posted by dubhthach
    well you got to remember in hiberno-english we tend to use terms that have become obselote in standard-english so it's no wonder ye is quite common in speech
    eg.
    cog (as in cheat in exam), bowsie, delph

    Delph as in plates, etc.? Didn't realise that was obsolete outside of Ireland.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,284 ✭✭✭dubhthach


    yup, hiberno-irish got some archaic terms in it, though i always find if funny how knackers will use the word "fiend" :rolleyes:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,331 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    Yes, I am resurrecting a 16 year old thread (really hits home how long Boards has been around!), but I don't feel it warrants a new thread.

    Fighting with my boss on this. I use ye a lot, and I always considered it the correct plural of you. But, I work for an American company, and the vast majority of customers are 'Merican, so use ya'll, which still makes no sense to me (because wouldn't it be a shortened version of ye all? Couldn't be a shortened version of you all, but still leaves the fact that the a is random in it, where did it come from?!).

    Anyway, has the world evolved for the better or worse in the last 16 years, do ye hear it less or more these days? What is the proper alternative if ye is not to be used anymore? Not that I'll use it, ye is legit as far as I'm concerned until a suitable replacement is advised.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,619 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    Why couldn't it be a shortened version of "you all"??


    Y(ou)all = Y'all


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,331 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    Didn't cop that. That's that one sorted anyway. Still think it's a stupid replacement for ye.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 34 magentur


    Was once criticised for the use of the word "ye:" in written communication at an American multinational. To irish co-workers that would have been familiar with it. Was told to refrain from using slang in business communications.

    Also use yere occasionally i.e. " Yere input would be appreciated." Is this correct?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 525 ✭✭✭Jupiter Mulligan


    magentur wrote: »
    Was once criticised for the use of the word "ye:" in written communication at an American multinational. To irish co-workers that would have been familiar with it. Was told to refrain from using slang in business communications.

    Also use yere occasionally i.e. " Yere input would be appreciated." Is this correct?


    It's every bit as correct as it would be if used in "Happy New Yere" :p


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,955 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    Fighting with my boss on this. I use ye a lot, and I always considered it the correct plural of you. But, I work for an American company, and the vast majority of customers are 'Merican, so use ya'll, which still makes no sense to me (because wouldn't it be a shortened version of ye all? Couldn't be a shortened version of you all, but still leaves the fact that the a is random in it, where did it come from?!).

    Y'all is a contraction of "you all", as has already been posted. Americans just have a stupid habit of putting the apostrophe in the wrong place.

    I work in communications and my degree is in English and I would never use "Ye" in a business context; it's a casual colloquialism as far as I'm concerned. I use it in informal verbal situations all the time, though. (And I'm a Dub.)


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,853 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    No, not 'yere' - it looks as though it is trying to be a contraction of 'ye are', which doesn't work in the sentence. What you are looking for is 'your' so why not use it?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,506 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    looksee wrote: »
    What you are looking for is 'your' so why not use it?
    They're talking about the plural of your.


  • Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭Weltsmertz


    magentur wrote: »
    Also use yere occasionally i.e. " Yere input would be appreciated." Is this correct?
    looksee wrote: »
    No, not 'yere' - it looks as though it is trying to be a contraction of 'ye are', which doesn't work in the sentence. What you are looking for is 'your' so why not use it?
    Victor wrote: »
    They're talking about the plural of your.

    Exactly. If addressing a group and want to make it clear that you are addressing all of them rather than one person would "Yere input would be appreciated " be more suitable than "your input would be appreciated" which could be interpreted as directed at an individual.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,853 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    How many people would recognise yere as a word though, much less understand what it means? Is there any origin or background for it?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,955 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    Weltsmertz wrote:
    Exactly. If addressing a group and want to make it clear that you are addressing all of them rather than one person would "Yere input would be appreciated " be more suitable than "your input would be appreciated" which could be interpreted as directed at an individual.

    No, never. "Yere" is not a word, it's as simple as that. The context should make it perfectly clear that you are addressing the group at large.

    It'd be like someone saying "Yisser input would be appreciated". Just, no. Neither is appropriate for anything other than extremely informal verbal usage and even then they'd make me wince a bit.

    If you're genuinely struggling, just say "Everyone's input would be appreciated" or "All of your input would be appreciated".


  • Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭Weltsmertz


    Yere obviously not from the real Capitol.

    https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yere


  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    If something is said and understood by someone else, it's a word. Doesn't matter if it's in the dictionary or not. What on Earth would it be if not a word? A noise?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,750 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    Y'all, not ya'll, is a colloquial contraction of "you all". It's not often used in formal writing but where it is - for example, in reporting direct speech - the style guides all agree that "y'all" is the preferred rendering.

    Y'all and ye can have the same meaning, but they feature in different regional dialects, and many dialects of English don't use either. Plus, ye can also be singular in some dialects, which can cause confusion for someone unfamiliar with the dialect. If you're writing for an intenational or diverse audience, probably best to avoid them both.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,750 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    If something is said and understood by someone else, it's a word. Doesn't matter if it's in the dictionary or not. What on Earth would it be if not a word? A noise?
    True, but yere is unlikely to be understood by everyone or, if they do understand it, they'll think it's a misprint for "your".
    Weltsmertz wrote: »
    Exactly. If addressing a group and want to make it clear that you are addressing all of them rather than one person would "Yere input would be appreciated " be more suitable than "your input would be appreciated" which could be interpreted as directed at an individual.
    Not if you're addressing a group, it couldn't. In a communication addressed to a group, if you wish to single out a particular member of the group you need to signal that, and indeed you need to identify which member. If neither of those things are done, then "your" can only be understood as addressed to the members of the group generally.

    For the record, yere does appear in the Oxford Engllish dictionary, but not as the second person plural possessive pronoun. It's a US English regional or nonstandard variation of "here"; also an obsolete English verb meaning "to yearn".

    Ye and y'all both have entries in the OED.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,853 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Weltsmertz wrote: »
    Yere obviously not from the real Capitol.

    https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yere

    Here you are using 'yere' as a version of 'ye/you are' or 'you're' but the argument being made was that 'yere' was a plural of 'your'.

    Maybe it would be a possible single word alternative to the 'your' 'you're' and associated plurals confusion, in reality it would just be adding a further word to the mix.


  • Registered Users Posts: 34 magentur


    looksee wrote: »
    Here you are using 'yere' as a version of 'ye/you are' or 'you're' but the argument being made was that 'yere' was a plural of 'your'.

    Maybe it would be a possible single word alternative to the 'your' 'you're' and associated plurals confusion, in reality it would just be adding a further word to the mix.

    Yere proposals in relation to alternatives that would provide more clarity to yere written communications are interesting. Maybe ye might consider adopting cork colloquialisms instead.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    My daughter was watching some faff about cake making on Netflix (Sugar Rush) and I happened to overhear a line from one of the judges which was like nails down a chalkboard..."Y'all's cake tastes sooo gooood".

    While I can accept "y'all" as a valid contraction of you all, y'all's cannot be the possessive case...pass the gin please.


  • Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭Weltsmertz


    Yakuza wrote: »

    While I can accept "y'all" as a valid contraction of you all

    Y'all is an American colloqulism.
    Ye is what we use in these parts


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,136 ✭✭✭✭is_that_so


    It's a country thing!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    Weltsmertz wrote: »
    Y'all is an American colloqulism.
    Ye is what we use in these parts

    It was being spoken by an American on an American program, so I had no issue with that..."y'all's" ground my gears. (As would an Irish person saying y'all in a non-ironic way).


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