reckless intuitions of an epistemic hygienist ([info]gustavolacerda) wrote,
@ 2005-09-18 15:13:00
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Entry tags:dutch, linguistics

jahoor, neehoor
A- [YESNO-QUESTION] ?
B- jahoor/neehoor.

"jahoor" and "neehoor" are alternatives to use when "ja" or "nee" are too short. It can also indicate that B is surprised that A is asking, and thus it can seem more sincere.

It's like "oh yeah" / "oh no". It took me the longest time to figure this out. The difference is not semantic, but pragmatic.

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UPDATE: I'm trying to figure out when people use "jahoor" instead of "ja".

A- Bel ik gelegen?
B- Jahoor!

Kom je vanavond? Heb je een aansteker? Wil je wat drinken? Heb je nieuws over X? Ben je ziek? Heb je t boek gelezen? Ben je ervoor bereid?

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RS says that "hoor" is meant to reassure. If you say "jahoor" or "neehoor", you signal that you are presupposing the other person is worried about the question they just asked.


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[info]whitemage
2005-09-18 09:14 pm UTC (link)
Does it serve the same grammatical function as the "contradictory yes/no" in some languages?

I'm thinking specifically of the difference between "oui" and "si" in french: "oui" is the usual "yes", and "si" is reserved for responding "yes" to questions that have an expected negative response.

If jahoor/neehoor are just emphatic yes/no, then I'd agree that the difference is pragmatic. But if they are used for contradiction-in-response, I'd argue that they do have a distinct semantic function.

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[info]gustavolacerda
2005-09-18 09:21 pm UTC (link)
If your "yes" contradicts a presupposition, you would use "jawel" ("yes, it is so!"), not "jahoor". There is no negative equivalent that I know.

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[info]whitemage
2005-09-18 09:52 pm UTC (link)
That's very interesting.

French also has no negative equivalent ("contradictory no"). I think. It's been a while. I wonder why the contradictory no doesn't warrant its own word in either language; I always assumed that french was asymmetric and that other languages did indeed have a word for that role.

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jahoor
(Anonymous)
2006-07-09 02:55 pm UTC (link)
"jahoor" can also indicate the emphatic, might be the same as "jazeker" in some instances. hope this is not too late an answer.

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Re: jahoor
[info]gustavolacerda
2006-07-09 02:56 pm UTC (link)
Thanks. Who is this?

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: jahoor
[info]gustavolacerda
2006-07-09 03:00 pm UTC (link)
I'm really curious now, since I don't know any Dutch people in the US.

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