Where does “ya” come from?
ya (Middle English) comes from Old English ġēa, from Proto-West Germanic jā, from Proto-Germanic ja, from Proto-Indo-European yē — already.
ya (Middle English): yes, yea
Ancestry of “ya”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | ġēa | yes, yea; district, region; yea, yes |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | jā | yes; thus, so |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | ja | yes; thus, so |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | yē | already |