Y is for YO-HE-HO and why we have words
I didn’t expect Y to be so difficult. For awhile I thought I would be stuck with yarn, the old English word for a rambling story, similar to the Chinese p’ing hua and the Russian skaz. (Interesting word, skaz. It sounds as though it really should be an insult or an acronym for a secret organisation in a James Bond film.) Then I came across the YO-HE-HO THEORY and I felt much happier because it’s all about how language began and that has to be of interest to writers and readers.
Supporters of the BOW-WOW theory are convinced that humans first began to communicate by imitating the sound of animals (Grrrrr!) and the natural world around them. Those who argue in favour of the DING DONG theory suggest that language began as part of an instinctive response to things and events, but those who are behind the YO-HE-HO theory feel that the motivating force was a desire to co-operate with others to achieve a common goal – in other words, workers uniting. Like it!
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That’s funny. Never heard of it, but makes me laugh. Hopped over from Chicaderock’s site. Congrats on finishing the A to Z challenge. I’m a survivor too. Maui Jungalow
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