Etymologically
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ja

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Pronunciation

Forms

ja (particle; as a noun das Ja, plural Ja or Jas)[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German jā, inherited from Old High German jā, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes”).[3][1][4] The same word is Gothic 𐌾𐌰 (ja), Old Saxon ja, Old Frisian je, Old English ġēa and Old Norse já, the last with its initial /j/ irregularly kept, and today Dutch ja, Swedish ja and English yea.[3][5] The English yes arose from its fusion with the old word for “so”.[3][4] Gothic also had an emphatic 𐌾𐌰𐌹 (jai).[6][7]

Its further origin is uncertain.[4][8][2] Kluge compares Welsh ie and Breton ya, which are also used as answer particles though more narrowly, and Latin iam (“already”).[3] He supposes a demonstrative pronoun stem Proto-Indo-European *i-, but leaves the details open.[3][6] Orel likewise takes it as a feminine form of a pronominal stem.[5] Wiktionary's Proto-Germanic page treats it as an expressive sound of agreement.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German jā is recorded from the 9th century, meaning “yes”, “truly, indeed”, “oh”, “and” and “now”.[3][9] It was already used as an answer agreeing to a question.[6] A strengthened form with an inserted /r/, Middle High German jârâ, is also recorded.[7]

Semantic evolution

Luther uses it as the answer to a question: Herr / ja / Vnd gieng nicht hin (Matthew 21:30).[6] It is often doubled or tripled for emphasis.[6] Early New High German already had most of its modern uses as a particle: confirming, introducing a statement, pointing to what is known, adding a stronger term (“indeed, even”) and urging (“by all means”).[10]

The vowel may be short or long, long mostly in emphatic assent, and dialects use different vowels for different shades of meaning.[7] The Grimms' dictionary reports five such vowels in East Frisian, from simple assent to insistence.[7] The verb bejahen, recorded from the early 17th century, first meant “to grant” and then, as the opposite of verneinen, “to say yes”.[4] Adelung records the noun Ja for a consent, especially a woman's consent to marriage, and refers to Jawort.[11] Jasager “yes-man” dates from the 20th century.[4]

Timeline

  • 9th century – Old High German jā is recorded.[3]
  • Early 17th century – bejahen “to grant” appears.[4]
  • c. 1800 – Adelung records the noun Ja for consent to marriage.[11]
  • 20th century – Jasager appears.[4]

Meanings

Particle

  1. yes: gives an answer of agreement to a question: Kommst du mit? – Ja.[2][1]
  2. With an adverb, strengthens agreement: ja gern, o ja.[2]
  3. (stressed, after a question) Asks for agreement, “isn't it?”: Du rufst mich morgen an, ja?[2]
  4. (unstressed) Points to something known or obvious: Wir sind ja gleich da.[2][1]
  5. (unstressed) Expresses surprise or irony: really.[2]
  6. (unstressed) Adds a stronger term: indeed, even: Das ist schwierig, ja fast unmöglich.[2][10]
  7. (stressed) Reinforces a command or warning: by all means, be sure to: Komm ja nicht zu spät![2][1]
  8. (colloquial, on its own) On the telephone, shows readiness to listen.[2]

Noun

  1. A yes, an assent: Sie stimmte mit Ja.[2][1]

Word family

  • bejahen
  • Jawort
  • Jasager
  • jawohl

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 453
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag
  5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d e Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  7. ^ a b c d Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 10, 2187
  8. ^ Wahrig-Burfeind, Renate, ed., Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch, Gütersloh / München: Wissen Media Verlag; online edition at wissen.de
  9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  10. ^ a b Anderson, Robert R.; Goebel, Ulrich; Reichmann, Oskar, eds. (1989–), Frühneuhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; FWB-online, fwb-online.de
  11. ^ a b Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf