# Etymology of the word "ta" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309 "2005-12-06T05:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/21 "2005-12-06T21:53:52Z")
> [@FlyingRamenMonster](#): > > Doesn’t “tak” mean “yes” though? Actually he is kinda right **grey\_ideas** , same word - spelling, pronunciation -\*\* _is_ \*\* yes, but in Polish not any of the Scandi languages. I’ve often heard, and used, ‘Ta’ in North Nottinghamshire / South Yorkshire area. I like **Johnny L.A.**'s idea of it being an acronym - I could see it having come into being in the early 20th century. IIRC that’s when things like ‘OTT’ and ‘POSH’ came into being (but let’s not get into the possible etymology of posh). [hijack]It seems that the characters in Coronation Street say “Ta-ra” for goodbye which is taken by many as proof that “northerners” use it. I’m not going to fight with **wayward** over this but but I’ve always heard "ta-_ **d** _a in Swansea and ‘the valleys’.[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/22 "2005-12-06T23:53:36Z")
I always insist that anything used on Corrie is a good example of old-fashioned Lancastrian language, and nothing to do with either the present day or with Manchester ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/23 "2005-12-07T00:10:00Z")
Hmm. Well, i’m a southerner, and I hear people say ta pretty regularily. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/24 "2005-12-07T00:13:39Z")
That in itself tells us nothing - where are you (‘London’ isn’t very precise in threads like these), and what makes you think the people saying it aren’t northerners? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/25 "2005-12-07T00:52:37Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > I’d say that \*very common \* is overstating it a bit. I agree with John Mace. The older generations, and those who are influenced a lot by them, say it a lot. I know I do (though I’m not from Australia originally) and I know a lot of people I’ve encountered here do. ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/26 "2005-12-08T15:50:13Z")
> [@Cat Jones](#): > > Actually he is kinda right **grey\_ideas** , same word - spelling, pronunciation -\*\* _is_ \*\* yes, but in Polish not any of the Scandi languages. Apologies…I was looking at the references to Scandinavian in the quoted section and assuming the question was in reference to that. Didn’t cross my mind he might have been thinking of another language. Thanks for clearing that up 🙂 grey\_ideas ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/27 "2005-12-08T16:15:36Z")
> [@Cat Jones](#): > > Actually he is kinda right **grey\_ideas** , same word - spelling, pronunciation -\*\* _is_ \*\* yes, but in Polish not any of the Scandi languages. > > [hijack]It seems that the characters in Coronation Street say “Ta-ra” for goodbye which is taken by many as proof that “northerners” use it. I’m not going to fight with **wayward** over this but but I’ve always heard "ta-_ **d** _a in Swansea and ‘the valleys’.[/hijack] Having been to south-eastern Poland recently, I can certainly confirm that Poles say “tak” for “thank you”. In fact, when they want to emphasise it - thank you very much - they say "tak tak. Of course, the accents on Coronation Street are not all “real” - i.e. typical of people from Salford. Many are from the wider Greater Manchester area (e.g. Janice Battersby, Claire Peacock) and some are from nowhere on this earth (Audrey Roberts). But there are a few “proper” Mancs, like Ashley Peacock, Les Battersby and Kevin Webster). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/28 "2005-12-08T16:29:31Z")
> [@Cat Jones](#): > > I like **Johnny L.A.**'s idea of it being an acronym - I could see it having come into being in the early 20th century. IIRC that’s when things like ‘OTT’ and ‘POSH’ came into being (but let’s not get into the possible etymology of posh). I was making it up. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/29 "2005-12-08T18:20:29Z")
> [@Cat Jones](#): > > I could see it having come into being in the early 20th century. IIRC that’s when things like ‘OTT’ and ‘POSH’ came into being (but let’s not get into the possible etymology of posh). Actually, my understanding is that acronymisation seriously kicked off in the **mid** -20th century. Do you want to avoid talking about _posh_ because its acronymic origin is almost certainly false? Along with “fornication under consent of the king” and all that nonsense? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/30 "2005-12-08T18:45:08Z")
> [@](#): > > and what makes you think the people saying it aren’t northerners? Because they drink shandy 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309/31 "2005-12-08T22:12:01Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Actually, my understanding is that acronymisation seriously kicked off in the **mid** -20th century. Maybe but the Great War, whence OTT, is certainly early 20th century - perhaps that was the start of the craze? > [@seosamh](#): > > Having been to south-eastern Poland recently, I can certainly confirm that Poles say “tak” for “thank you”. In fact, when they want to emphasise it - thank you very much - they say "tak tak. Wow, that does surprise me, I mean I lived in Warsaw for over two years and I don’t recall it being used that way, i did a fair bit of travelling round the country too but… maybe it’s a regional thing or times have changed - the Warsaw folk certainly just used either the full “dziękują” or the less formal “dzięki” with or without 'bardzo" for emphasis (that was back in the mid 90s 😉 ) > [@seosamh](#): > > Do you want to avoid talking about posh because its acronymic origin is almost certainly false? Got it in one, I just couldn’t think of another example. > [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > I was making it up. And may I say what a fine bullshitter you are ? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-word-ta/334309.md?page=1)