Take the Yes and No Survey

‘Yes’ and ‘no’ are extraordinary because they have paralinguistic and extralinguistic equivalents: in addition to verbal yes and no, we have vocalised uh huh and uh-uh, and the gestures of nodding and shaking our heads. The trimodality — language, vocalisation and gesture — of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ is quite exceptional, making them a potentially significant area of research in understanding the origins of human communication.

I’d like to know how you communicate “yes” and “no” in your language and culture. How do you say “yes” and “no”? How do you vocalise “yes” and “no”? And how do you gesture “yes” and “no”?

 

Please take the survey below

    Name

    Email

    Gender
    MaleFemalePrefer not to say

    What year were you born?

    Where did you grow up?

    Where do you live now?

    Is your information about the region where you live now or where you grew up (or both)?
    Where I live nowWhere I grew up

    What is the name of the country or region?

    What is your language?

    Where is your language spoken?

    Is this your native language?

    Did you grow up in this culture?

    Language

    How do you normally say ‘yes’ in your language? You can also add some examples, if you wish (with English translation if possible).

    How do you normally say ‘no’ in your language? You can also add some examples, if you wish (with English translation if possible).

    Vocalisation

    In your language or culture, can you express ‘yes’ by vocalisation? (Vocalisation means making a sound or sounds with your mouth that are not words. This may include grunts, nasal sounds, clicks, sounds made with the lips, teeth, gums, or other sounds.)

    In your language or culture, can you express ‘no’ by vocalisation? (Vocalisation means making a sound or sounds with your mouth that are not words. This may include grunts, nasal sounds, clicks, sounds made with the lips, teeth, gums, or other sounds.)

    Gesture

    In your culture, can you express ‘yes’ by gesture? Gesture can include any movement of the body (for example the head, shoulders, hands, arms or fingers) or facial expression (for example the eyes, eyebrows, lips, mouth, or chin). Please describe the gesture in as much detail as possible. You can also upload an image or video below.

    In your culture, can you express ‘no’ by gesture? Gesture can include any movement of the body (for example the head, shoulders, hands, arms or fingers) or facial expression (for example the eyes, eyebrows, lips, mouth, or chin). Please describe the gesture in as much detail as possible. You can also upload an image or video below.

    Are language, vocalisation and gesture ‘yes’ used together or separately?

    Are language, vocalisation and gesture ‘no’ used together or separately?

    Please feel free to add any further information

    If you wish to upload a file (such as an image or audio or video file), you can do so here