Johnny Yesno
As I no longer live in the UK and only go back a couple of times a year, I may miss some of the changes occurring in British English that aren't easily seen on the web, so I keep in contact with all sorts of sources who try to keep me up to date.
One thing that a number of my older correspondents, who are often the canary in the coal mine and acutely aware of very small changes, have brought up is answering a wh- question with yes, so when asked How are you? people may reply Yes, I'm well/good/fine, etc.
As language changes go, one where people are showiing that they have understood the question before answering, this strikes me as a change driven by manners and politeness and one more to be welcomed than criticised.
Categories: General
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