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