Re: yeah (was Re: Moraic codas)

Andreas Johansson wrote:

> >  If you don't believe me, or can't fathom it, just watch the
> > Simpsons.  Off hand, I can think of the episode where they go to Itchy
> > and Scratchy Land.  They say "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" when they think Marge
> > has finally conceded.
>
> Nothing you'll ever say'll make me watch the Simpsons, but if you as a
> native speaker insists that "yay" and "yea" are different words, I guess I
> have to accept that.
They are, in fact, entirely different words.

And as an aside:   I respectfully disagree with your implication about the show.
The satire involved is very American-oriented, like the following lines from the
episode when Bart and Lisa's school have a history pageant:

[ "|" represents a caesura]
"We're the mediocre | Presidents /
You won't find our faces | on dollars or on cents; /
We're Taylor, we're Tyler, | we're Fillmore and we're Hayes -- /
I'm William Henry Harrison, | I died in 30 days! -- /
We're the adequate, | acceptable /
Occasionally regretable /
Care-taker Presidents of the USA!!"

(imagine that to a can-can of children on stage)

How can you understand that if you don't have a clue who William
Henry Harrison is? I doubt one could entirely; it's like an inside-joke.

> BTW, isn't "yes!" used as an exclamation much like "yay!"?
Yes, it is.

===================================
Thomas Wier | AIM: trwier

"Aspidi men Saiôn tis agalletai, hên para thamnôi
  entos amômêton kallipon ouk ethelôn;
autos d' exephugon thanatou telos: aspis ekeinê
  erretô; exautês ktêsomai ou kakiô" - Arkhilokhos

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