XPost: alt.usage.english   
   From: HenHanna@devnull.tb   
      
   On 7/21/2024 8:52 AM, Aidan Kehoe wrote:   
   >   
   >   Ar an chéad lá is fiche de mí Iúil, scríobh Aidan Kehoe:   
   >   
   >   >  Ar an chéad lá is fiche de mí Iúil, scríobh Ruud Harmsen:   
   >   >   
   >   >  > Sun, 21 Jul 2024 09:29:23 +0200: Bertel Lund Hansen   
   >   >  >  scribeva:   
   >   >  >   
   >   >  > >Peter Moylan wrote:   
   >   >  > >   
   >   >  > >> Another comment of his that still sticks with me: Have you noticed   
   >   >  > >> that Irish people never answer a question with "yes" or "no"? A   
   >   >  > >> typical exchange:   
   >   
   > (“Never” overstates it, we do speak English and make full use of its   
   idioms.)   
   >   
   >   >  > >>      Are you still living in Limerick?   
   >   >  > >>      I am.   
   >   
   >   >  > >> This is because the Irish language has no words for "yes" and   
   "no", and   
   >   >  > >> somehow this has affected Irish English.   
   >   >  > >   
   >   >  > >Amazing. Do they nod and shake their heads for yes and no?   
   >   >  >   
   >   >  > They do.   
   >   >   
   >   > Well answered, Ruud!   
   >   
   > Classical Greek and Latin also did not have words for “yes” and   
   “no”; you see   
   > an echo of this in the marriage ceremony. In English, translated without   
   regard   
   > for idiom, it is: “Q: Do you take [this woman] to be your lawfully wedded   
   > [wife], [...] A: I do.” German has something like:   
   >   
   >    »Q: N., ich frage Sie: Sind Sie hierher gekommen, um nach reiflicher   
   >    Überlegung und aus freiem Entschluss mit Ihrer Braut (Name) / mit Ihrem   
   >    Bräutigam (Name) / den Bund der Ehe zu schließen? A: Ja«   
   >   
   > which is a more idiomatic translation.   
   >   
      
      
   So in German it's  always   just   [Ja] ?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)