# Origins of uh-huh and uh-uh

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-uh-huh-and-uh-uh/495358>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 4, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-uh-huh-and-uh-uh/495358 "2009-05-04T23:45:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-uh-huh-and-uh-uh/495358/1 "2009-05-04T23:45:12Z")

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A question for the linguists and historical linguists on the SDMB.

Is there any consensus on the origins of the Americanism _uh-huh_ and _uh-uh_? _Uh-huh_ means something like “yes” or might signify acknowledgment, while _uh-uh_ means “no”.

**Lord Dandybreeches** : Delightful ale, isn’t it?  
**Buxom Wench** : Uh-huh!

**Lady Congenitalsyphilis** : Milord, grace my bed tonight.  
**Lord Dandybreeches** : Uh-uh!

On [Zompist](http://www.zompist.com/indianwd.html), it’s suggested that the words might derive from Cherokee. Anyone have any information?

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-uh-huh-and-uh-uh/495358/2 "2009-05-05T00:17:22Z")

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It’s not an Americanism:

[http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/4/4-736.html](http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/4/4-736.html)

Words like these are very unlikely to derive from American Indian languages, even if they are actually Americanisms. Deriving common words that have no relationship with actual American Indian objects is a favorite hobby of amateur etymologists. The link in the OP is to an amateur etymologist’s website.

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**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-uh-huh-and-uh-uh/495358/3 "2009-05-05T10:13:21Z")

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I’ve always thought it’s a relatively universal thing – at least some variant is also common in German, usually written as either ‘ah-hah’ and ‘ah-ah’ (maybe even ‘äh-äh’), or ‘mh-hmm’ and ‘mh-mh’, with a somewhat suppressed vowel sound, for con- and dissent, respectively.

I’ve wondered about the origins of that, it appears a relatively primitive vocalisation, but then I’m no linguist.