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The origins of 'yes' and 'no'

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K00698
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 02080:English linguistics-related
Research InstitutionFukuoka University

Principal Investigator

Howe Stephen Mark  福岡大学, 人文学部, 教授 (90461491)

Project Period (FY) 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2023)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Keywordsyes / no / language / vocalisation / gesture / East Anglia / New England / multimodal / vocalization / English / particle / linguistics / English dialect / yes, no / language universals / English language / interjection / Eastern English
Outline of Research at the Start

(1) To examine the origins and forms of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ in English
(2) To examine the conventionalisation of responses to ‘yes’ and ‘no’ particles in human language
(3) To investigate a likely very old part of human language - why we communicate ‘yes’ and ‘no’ with language, vocalisation and gesture

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research (1) examined the origins and forms of yes and no in dialect in England and America; and (2) investigated a fundamental and probably very old part of human language, namely why we communicate yes and no trimodally; with language, vocalisation and gesture. In the first part of my research, I examined two forms of yes and no in British English previously unknown to the academic literature, jearse and dow. These forms of yes and no are also used in Northeast America. I gathered new data on jearse/jess and dow in research in New England. I am currently in the process of finalising these findings for publication. In the second part of my research, I examined the following questions: Why are yes and no trimodal? And what can yes and no tell us about the origins of human communication and language? I am completing a second forthcoming paper on yes and no. It will put forward a hypothesis on the origins of yes and no in human language.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

My research is scientifically and socially significant as it revealed forms of 'yes' and 'no' previously unknown to most scholars, although spoken across Eastern England and America. It is further significant as it will put forward a theory of the origin of 'yes' and 'no' common to all humans.

Report

(6 results)
  • 2023 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2022 Research-status Report
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (7 results)

All 2023 2019 Other

All Journal Article (2 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results,  Peer Reviewed: 1 results,  Open Access: 1 results) Presentation (2 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results,  Invited: 1 results) Remarks (3 results)

  • [Journal Article] East Anglian English and the Langue de jearse and dow2023

    • Author(s)
      Howe Stephen
    • Journal Title

      NOWELE / North-Western European Language Evolution

      Volume: 76 Issue: 1 Pages: 112-125

    • DOI

      10.1075/nowele.00076.how

    • Related Report
      2023 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] New old words for “yes” and “no” in English2019

    • Author(s)
      HOWE, Stephen
    • Journal Title

      The Bulletin of the Central Research Institute, Fukuoka University

      Volume: series A, vol. 19 Pages: 29-34

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Open Access
  • [Presentation] Jearse and dow: Emphatic ‘yes’ and ‘no’ in the East of England and Northeast America2019

    • Author(s)
      HOWE, Stephen
    • Organizer
      American Dialect Society, Annual Conference, New Orleans, Jan. 2-5, 2020
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Yes and No in England and America2019

    • Author(s)
      HOWE, Stephen
    • Organizer
      Podcast on WAMC/Northeast Public Radio
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Remarks] How do you communicate yes and no in your culture?

    • URL

      https://yesandno.info/

    • Related Report
      2023 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] HOWE

    • URL

      https://yesandno.info/

    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
  • [Remarks] Dow Jearse Survey

    • URL

      http://yesandno.info/

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report

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Published: 2019-04-18   Modified: 2025-01-30  

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