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<HEAD><TITLE>Yes/No systems</TITLE></HEAD>
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<h1><a name="yesno"><font color="#803800">Yes/No systems</a></font></h1>

<p>This is a small page I threw together aimed at giving a brief overview of the different systems used to express equivalents of the words <i>yes</i> and <i>no</i>.

<img src="yes-no-buttons.jpg" align="right" border="1">

<h2><a name=""><font color="#803800">Two-Form languages</a></font></h2>

A two-form language has two words for yes and no. One for a positive answer, and one for a negative one. Languages include English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Hungarian and Greek.

<ul>
<blockquote>
<table>
<tr>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>English
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE ANSWER</font>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE ANSWER</font>

</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE QUESTION</font>

	<td align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Yes</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>No</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE QUESTION</font>
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>Yes</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>No</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>

</table>
</blockquote>
</ul>

<h2><a name=""><font color="#803800">Three-Form languages</a></font></h2>

Three-form languages have three words, two for <i>yes</i>, and one for <i>no</i>. The two words for <i>yes</i> are distinguished by whether they answer a positive or negative question.
Three-form langauges include German, Scandinavian, Icelandic and French.

<ul>
<blockquote>
<table>
<tr>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>Scandinavian
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE ANSWER</font>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE ANSWER</font>

</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE QUESTION</font>

	<td align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Ja</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Nej</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE QUESTION</font>
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>Jo</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>Nej</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>

</table>
</blockquote>
</ul>

<h2><a name=""><font color="#803800">Four-Form languages</a></font></h2>

Four-form languages have two words for <i>yes</i>, and two for <i>no</i>. They are distinguished by whether both the question and the answer is positive or negative. Examples include Early Modern English and Romanian.

<ul>
<blockquote>
<table>
<tr>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>Early Modern English
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE ANSWER</font>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE ANSWER</font>

</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE QUESTION</font>

	<td align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Yea</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Nay</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE QUESTION</font>
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>Yes</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>No</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>

</table>
</blockquote>
</ul>

<h2><a name=""><font color="#803800">Agreement languages</a></font></h2>

In an agreement language the important distinction is not whether the answer is positive or negative, but rather agreement with the question stated. Roughly, in these languages, <i>yes</i> can be exchanged for "That's correct" and <i>no</i> for "That's not correct". Agreement languages include Japanese, Russian and Tok Pisin.

<ul>
<blockquote>
<table>
<tr>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>Japanese
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE ANSWER</font>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE ANSWER</font>

</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE QUESTION</font>

	<td align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Hai</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Iie</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE QUESTION</font>
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>Iie</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>Hai</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>

</table>
</blockquote>
</ul>

<h2><a name=""><font color="#803800">Echo languages</a></font></h2>

An echo language is a language that doesn't use specific words for <i>yes</i> and <i>no</i>, but rather restates the main verb of the question. Some echo languages do have words for <i>yes</i> and <i>no</i> as well, but their usage is usually quite restricted compared to non-echo languages.
Echo languages include Mandarin, Finnish, Latin and Welsh.

<ul>
<blockquote>
<table>
<tr>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>Mandarin
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE ANSWER</font>
	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE ANSWER</font>

</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>P<font size=-1>OSITIVE QUESTION</font>

	<td align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Shā le</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Did you kill him? <br><b>Méi yǒu</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>
<tr>

	<td bgcolor="#e7c465" align="center"><b>N<font size=-1>EGATIVE QUESTION</font>
	<td bgcolor="F7E8B1" align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>Shā le</b> <br>I killed him.
	<td align="center">Didn't you kill him? <br><b>Méi yǒu</b> <br>I didn't kill him.
</tr>

</table>
</blockquote>
</ul>

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<i>&copy; september 2009 by Aszev</i>

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