meaning - Is ‘Yes-ish’ a perfect alternative to Yes, or is it 'Yes ‘on condition’? Is it received English?


I found a word ‘Yes-ish’ in the answer (from PLL) to my question about the meaning of ‘Stuck to the script’ I posted today. As it is quite new to my ear, I consulted with Wikipedia before logging out the forum, which says: (Yesih) is yes with a condition or limitation, and similarly Noish (but this of course tends more to a ....


Is ‘Yes-sh / Yessh’ often heard in day-to-day conversation among American people or found in casual writings. How ‘Yes-sh’ is different from ‘Yes’ in its implication, supposing it’s an informal or colloquial expression.



Answer



'ish' is added to some words to denote 'sort of'. For example:



He was tall-ish



Means he was tall, but not extremely so. Taller than average, but not basketball-player tall.



I'm tired-ish



Means you're a little tired but not totally 'knackered' (a bit of British slang there).


Generally '-ish' is considered informal; slightly slang-ish!


You perhaps wouldn't use it in formal situations like a business meeting. It's not considered rude, it's just something you'd use in more relaxed settings.


This reminds me of a joke by a British comedian called Jimmy Carr



Catholics have a confirmation where someone says, "You are definitely Catholic". Jews are never sure: they say "Well, I'm Jew-ish".



Here the comedian has made a 'play on words' and used the 'sort of' meaning of -ish as opposed to that seen in Jewish, English etc.


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