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high school play
speak English as a native language

Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

Yes'm

English answer:

Yes, ma'am.

Added to glossary by JaneTranslates
Apr 21, 2011 01:54
14 yrs ago
3 viewers *
English term

Yes'm

Non-PRO English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
"It was warm there, isn't it?", she asked.
'Yes'm.'

Hope " 'm " means madam. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Responses
4 +18 Yes, ma'am.
4 -1 just means yes
Change log

Apr 21, 2011 07:09: Allison Wright (X) changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Apr 22, 2011 22:54: JaneTranslates Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): Tony M, Thayenga, Allison Wright (X)

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Discussion

JaneTranslates Apr 21, 2011:
Sorry, Amel & Hannah! I did click on your link, Amel, but got it mixed up with Hannah Geiger's. She linked the context; you linked the dictionary definition. My apologies to both. And I'm feeling pretty silly for not remembering that the asker had already given us the sex of the person to whom Tom is speaking. Good for you for pointing it out.
Arabic & More Apr 21, 2011:
I'm not the one who posted the link, but you are correct that it is Tom's aunt who is speaking with Tom. Besides this, the asker's original passage makes it clear that a female was being addressed:

"It was warm there, isn't it?", [b]she asked.[/b]
'Yes'm.'

Also, I must say that there is really no confusion for those who are native speakers of U.S. English. We have all grown up hearing and reading "Yes'm" in films, books, etc. or when engaging with people from the South. If anyone has doubts, I can only assume the person did not grow up in the U.S.
B D Finch Apr 21, 2011:
Class, respect and the Deep South I believe that there are considerable overtones to this usage as both servants, but even more so slaves were meant to indicate their inferior status and mental capacity by not speaking too clearly or in an "educated" way. Of course, this would not apply to Tom, but as a carry-over, the shortened form indicated deferential respect.
JaneTranslates Apr 21, 2011:
I clicked on Amel's link. It's Tom Sawyer's Aunt Polly.
Arabic & More Apr 21, 2011:
In addition, most dictionaries (including Oxford) explain the meaning:

http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0488510?rske...
Arabic & More Apr 21, 2011:
In this case, we know it is Tom Sawyer who is speaking and that he meant "ma'am." As far as I know, 'm is always short for ma'am, and this phrase would not ever be said to a man.
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2011:
I really don't think it means "madam"
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2011:
please be careful with this regardless of suggestions
JaneTranslates Apr 21, 2011:
Tom Sawyer is not African American, or a servant. He said "yes'm" because he was a child who had been taught manners.
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2011:
it really will depend on who is speaking to whom and I can only reiterate that I am translating the text and not making any sort of social comment
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2011:
OK, what I suspected so the yes'm is just agreeing (and the way the African Americans ... servants in this case ... used to reply but absolutely frowned upon now and rightly so ...
Hannah Geiger (X) Apr 21, 2011:
Tom, it was middling warm in school, warn't it?"
"Yes'm."
"Powerful warm, warn't it?"
"Yes,m."
http://www.yabookscentral.com/cfusion/index.cfm?fuseAction=b...
Trudy Peters Apr 21, 2011:
I would think it's short for "yes m'am". In other words yes, it means madam.
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2011:
please provide more context :)
PRAKASH SHARMA (asker) Apr 21, 2011:
These are lines from Tom Sawyer's story.
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2011:
and is it to do with something in the deep south of the US?
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2011:
is this a text from the US?

Responses

+18
49 mins
Selected

Yes, ma'am.

It's a short way of saying "Yes, ma'am," which is a short way of saying "Yes, madam." This is the respectful way that children used to be taught to address an adult female. It corresponds to "Yessir" or "Yessuh."

As David mentioned, it would also be the way that a servant would address the mistress of the house.
Peer comment(s):
agree Kim Metzger
34 mins
Thank you, Kim.
agree Arabic & More
42 mins
Thank you, Amel.
agree Ioanna Karamanou
1 hr
Thank you, Ioanna.
agree eski : Absolutely the better choice: Saludos! eski
1 hr
Muchas gracias y un abrazo, eski.
agree R.C. (X) : also in in "gone with the wind...."?
2 hrs
Hmmm, it's been many years since I saw the movie, and even more years since I read the book--but you're probably right. Thanks, Raffaela!
agree Tania McConaghy
2 hrs
Thanks, Tania.
agree Jim Tucker (X)
2 hrs
Thank you, Jim.
agree Tony M
3 hrs
Thanks, Tony!
agree Anna Herbst
3 hrs
Thank you, Anna.
agree Thuy-PTT (X)
3 hrs
Thanks, Thuy-PTT.
agree Thayenga
3 hrs
Thank you, Thayenga.
agree writeaway : yes, but surely this isn't a difficult/pro-level question.
3 hrs
Nope. It isn't. Thanks, writeaway.
agree Sheila Wilson : A sign of respect that was also used by children to adults (maybe nowadays too in some parts)
4 hrs
Exactly. Thanks, Sheila.
agree Donna Stevens : It means madam, but the way I was raised, children would at the most say ma'am (never madam, as a butler might say)
4 hrs
A butler! That's a perfect example of the usage, Donna. A child wouldn't say "madam," nor would most servants, but the hyper-correct butler might indeed do so.
agree airmailrpl : "Yes, ma'am," which is a short way of saying "Yes, madam."
4 hrs
Indeed it is. Thank you, airmailrpl.
agree Jack Doughty
4 hrs
Thanks, Jack.
agree Trudy Peters
9 hrs
Thank you, Trudy.
agree humbird : Yes short for ma'am.
13 hrs
Yep, that's what it is. Thanks, humbird.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you!"
-1
13 mins

just means yes

but with the explanation that it probably comes form a servant

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2011-04-21 02:15:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

yes'm is a non-U way of agreeing
Peer comment(s):
neutral Arabic & More : It is a common expression in the U.S. South whose use is not restricted to servants. Further, one would not say this expression to a man because the 'm is short for ma'am.
1 hr
disagree airmailrpl : "Yes, ma'am," which is a short way of saying "Yes, madam."
7 hrs
neutral Christine Andersen : True, but the translator needs to know why the extra ´m´is there, to translate it correctly. How far to update, rephrase in a modern and politically correct form, explain, or use some target language equivalent depends on several factors we don´t know.
2 days 9 hrs
Something went wrong...
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