Quote:
Originally Posted by kacir
I was shocked when I was learning English and I learned that at the wedding ceremony the bride and the groom do not answer THE question with affirmative "yes" but with "I do" ;-)
Even in my native language, where the Yes and No are used extensively it is considered impolite to answer with one of those words exclusively. You always have to say "yes, it is so" or "yes I will" or "no mother, we really do not have homework today"
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It's in the context of answering a question in a formal ceremony, kacir. A traditional wedding ceremony in English uses the question, "Do you take this {man/woman} to be your {husband/wife}?" In English, an affirmation with the verb is considered a stronger, clearer statement than simply saying "yes", and carries an air of formality and legality.
Another aspect of "yes" and "no" that has always been pertinent to me is that it seems some languages answer a question, especially a negative one, with yes or no based on whether the answerer is agreeing with the intent of the question, and others by whether the question is a correct statement or not. For instance, if you ask someone in English, "Are you not going to the party?", most native English speakers would say "No" to agree with the question and say that they are not going to the party. They might expand it to say, "No, I'm not" or "No, I'm not going". Personally, I've always found that a bit confusing, and I got into a lot of strife when I was a kid for answering things the other way round. If asked that question, I would have said, "Yes, I'm not going." (As in, "Yes, that statement is correct, I'm not going.") That seems logical to me, and when I'm not concentrating on what I'm saying, I still get myself into strife by saying it "my" way rather than "most people's" way. So I was really relieved when I discovered that some languages think the way I do, that I'm not alone in that approach.