- Whats the origin of saying yoo hoo! to get someones attention?
The Oxford English Dictionary dates yoo-hoo to 1924, as noted by the American Dialect Society, and compares it to yo-ho, originally a nautical phrase also sometimes used in yo-heave-ho Their first documented use of yo-ho is from 1769 in William Falconer's An universal dictionary of the marine: Hola-ho, a cry which answers to yoe-hoe Yo-ho derives from two interjections Yo: an exclamation of
- pronunciation - When to pronounce long u as yoo or ooo - English . . .
It usually says yoo when it follows an unvoiced consonant (b, d, p, c, f, h, t) As languages evolve both in pronunciation and dialect, this 'rule' is weakened somewhat, however it does still hold true in the majority of cases
- What is the origin of the term toots to refer to a woman?
OED says Toots is probably from the earlier "meaningless alliteration" Tootsy-wootsy used as a term of endearment (or just to refer to a woman or sweetheart in general)
- Why does the pronunciation of U vary in English?
U is "oo" for nearly all American, and a substantial number of British English speakers in most words when it falls in a stressed syllable after one of the following consonants: l s z U is "oo" for most American speakers, but "yoo" for most British speakers when it falls in a stressed syllable after one of the following consonants: t d
- may you or can you? - English Language Usage Stack Exchange
Please include the research you've done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic
- greetings - Whats an appropriate response to a British person asking . . .
You are correct, there are two meanings which you mention The first one has a couple of possible responses: 1 - yes, yeah or something else short and semi-positive 2 - a response of 'alright' itself can be appropriate for passing, which means "yes, thank you, and yourself?' That could just be a Northern thing though For the barman waitress service person, you can either keep things short as
- “Do you have” vs “Have you got” - English Language Usage . . .
I am studying English and I want to know the main difference between “Have you got?” and “Do you have?” questions Are they the same? Is one more formal than the other?
- meaning - Both of you vs. the both of you - English Language . . .
When we refer to two people, which is right — "both of you" or "the both of you"? Are both the same or is there any difference between them?
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