Is Ye a word?

Lump · 20-09-2003 1:38am #1

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.

ArphaRima · 20-09-2003 2:01am

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.

Lump · 20-09-2003 11:28am

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

john

simu · 20-09-2003 9:31pm

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

D-Generate · 20-09-2003 10:01pm

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.

Talliesin · 23-09-2003 11:58am

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.

Praetorian · 23-09-2003 12:16pm

'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.

dubhthach · 24-09-2003 2:38pm

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

Macseamusa · 02-10-2003 11:30am

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

sceptre · 08-10-2003 3:14am

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)

Kopf · 09-10-2003 6:49pm

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.

Victor · 16-12-2003 7:37pm

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

Exit · 17-12-2003 8:54pm

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.

dubhthach · 18-12-2003 12:16am

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

Potential-Monke · 04-06-2019 6:23pm

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.

HeidiHeidi · 04-06-2019 6:26pm

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

Y(ou)all = Y'all

Potential-Monke · 04-06-2019 6:35pm

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

New Home · 05-06-2019 6:57pm

This will help.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/ye#etymonline_v_4942

magentur · 05-06-2019 7:07pm

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?

Jupiter Mulligan · 05-06-2019 7:12pm

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"

Dial Hard · 05-06-2019 7:14pm

Potential-Monke wrote:

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.)

looksee · 05-06-2019 9:44pm

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 · 05-06-2019 10:19pm

looksee wrote: »

What you are looking for is 'your' so why not use it?

They're talking about the plural of your.

Weltsmertz · 05-06-2019 10:37pm

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.

looksee · 05-06-2019 10:46pm

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

Dial Hard · 05-06-2019 11:05pm

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".

Weltsmertz · 06-06-2019 4:18am

Yere obviously not from the real Capitol.

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

06-06-2019 4:40am

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?

Peregrinus · 06-06-2019 5:15am

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.

Peregrinus · 06-06-2019 5:26am

Deleted User wrote: »

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.

looksee · 06-06-2019 9:59am

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.

Is Ye a word?

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