# Yes/No .. Yea/Nay .. Aye/No? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-no-yea-nay-aye-no/736409 "2015-11-02T12:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [November 2, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-no-yea-nay-aye-no/736409/1 "2015-11-02T12:55:49Z")
This Wikipedia article offers very interesting information about the history of yes/no/yea/nay in the English language — [Yes and no - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_and_no) — but it seems to fall down a bit when it comes to “aye,” which it notes only as a colloquial usage, primarily in Scotland. However, in the U.S. Congress, “aye” is frequently used, and I noticed a recent link on these boards to a vote in the New Zealand parliament that used “aye” in the same way. The U.S. Constitution actually uses “yea/nay” — [Article I | U.S. Constitution | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute](https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei) — > [@](#): > > Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and **the yeas and nays** of the members of either House on any question shall, at the desire of one fifth of those present, be entered on the journal. However, most reports of votes use “yes/no” but most votes I have been present for in committees have used “aye/no.” Any insight on why “aye”? And why “aye” is paired with “no” instead of “nay”? ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-no-yea-nay-aye-no/736409/2 "2015-11-02T13:42:41Z")
I associate “aye” with those old movies about the British navy - “aye-aye, sir!” I do foresee a problem with a spoken word vote where both sound almost the same, “yay” and “nay” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-no-yea-nay-aye-no/736409/3 "2015-11-02T13:45:47Z")
IIRC Arlen Specter was a fan of the Scot’s method of voting. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-no-yea-nay-aye-no/736409/4 "2015-11-02T14:50:21Z")
Is that a joke or something? Or is there actually something that Arlen Specter did or said? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-no-yea-nay-aye-no/736409/5 "2015-11-02T15:43:09Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Is that a joke or something? Or is there actually something that Arlen Specter did or said? He voted ‘Not Proved’ in the Impeachment of Bill Clinton. [From here](http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/02/12/senate.statements/specter.html): > [@](#): > > My position in the matter is that the case has not been proved. I have gone back to Scottish law where there are three verdicts: guilty, not guilty, and not proved. I am not prepared to say on this record that President Clinton is not guilty. But I am certainly not prepared to say that he is guilty. There are precedents for a Senator voting present. I hope that I will be accorded the opportunity to vote not proved in this case. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-no-yea-nay-aye-no/736409/6 "2015-11-02T17:07:59Z")
The British House of Commons used to use ‘Yeas’ and ‘Noes’, but now uses ‘Ayes’ and ‘Noes’. According to the second footnote [here](http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06401/SN06401.pdf), the change was made ‘some 200 years ago’, although it was less than fifty years ago that the Journal of the House of Commons caught up with this. Whereas the US Congress still seems to be stuck in the eighteenth century.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-no-yea-nay-aye-no/736409/7 "2015-11-03T17:28:18Z")
> [@APB](#): > > The British House of Commons used to use ‘Yeas’ and ‘Noes’, but now uses ‘Ayes’ and ‘Noes’. According to the second footnote [here](http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06401/SN06401.pdf), the change was made ‘some 200 years ago’, although it was less than fifty years ago that the Journal of the House of Commons caught up with this. Whereas the US Congress still seems to be stuck in the eighteenth century.🙂 I heard a comedian poll the audience about something, and asked, “How many ‘Ayes’?”, then, “How many ‘Noes’?”, and then finally commenting, “As usual, the ‘ayes’ are above the ‘noes’!” If that does not seem funny to you, say it out loud.