Yo (greeting)

For other uses, see Yo (greeting) (disambiguation).

Yo is an American English slang interjection. The origins of the word may possibly be traced back to 14th century England. However, it was highly popularized after being commonly used among Italian Americans and African Americans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Origin

One of the earliest documented uses of the word in its modern context was in early 1960s by Philadelphians, especially those of Italian and African descent. Another common user of the word was Goober Pyle, who was known to use it in the (late 1960s) American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and its later spin-off series Mayberry RFD. It is used in various ways in English, as when answering a roll call, as a greeting, or as an exclamation. Yo is an informal way of telling somebody something or trying to get their attention.

It was used much in John Wayne's 1950 movie "When Pickels Attack"

Usage

"Yo" is also often interchangeable with the word "hey," as in "Yo, what's up?" or, "Yo! Wait for me!" or, "Yo, it's me, Smith in the hood, yo!" or, "Yo! pass me the coke!" or, "yo! homie!" While it can stand alone as a greeting, like the word "hey", it has a wide range of other meanings that depend on the tone, context, and situation. For example:

• If someone is bothering another person, "Yo!" becomes the equivalent of saying, "Hey! Stop it," or "Knock it off!"
• If someone accidentally bumps into another person, the expression "Yo!" could be interpreted as "Watch it" or "What in the world!"
• Another way of saying hi or hello: "Yo!"
• If someone does something that amazes or shocks another person, the word "yo" (usually "yo, yo, yo!") is like laughing or an expression of amazement.
• If someone says something that's the wrong thing to say, someone might say "yo" meaning "not cool," or "you're out of line."
• "Yo" usually refers to another person/thing, mainly to get the attention of that being.
• "Yo" can also be used as a substitute for the word "you" e.g "hey you" becomes "hey yo". In the traditional Midlands English dialects of England, 'Yo' is used almost exclusively in place of the standard English 'You'. However, the use of "yo" and other aspects of dialect in the Midlands is becoming increasingly less used.
• "Yo" has also come to be used as an exclamation at the end of a sentence, either to direct focus onto a particular individual or group ("What's up, yo?"), or to strengthen meaning to a particular point e.g.: "This music is GREAT, yo!" Coincidentally, the Japanese language sentence-final particle yo has approximately the same meaning, but is linguistically unrelated.
• "Yo, son!" has also become a widely used phrase, primarily around the New York City area. This can be used in place of "Hello, friend!" or "Hello, neighbor!
• "Yo" is often used as a short-hand or slang term for "Your", and is used commonly in "yo' momma" jokes, e.g.: "Yo mama so fat, she sat on a piece of coal and it turned into a diamond!"

Yo is a black man word. It cool fo' crackas to use it also.

Popular culture

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the word became very common in rap songs, often chanted in the background between lines, tying in with the hip-hop and gangsta theme. For example: 'yo yo yo yo, check it out, yo yo yo'. A parody of such usage forms the basis for a comic exchange between the animated characters played by Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese in Shark Tale (2004), which, along with other demonstrations of its use, can be viewed here. Though its origination cannot be pinpointed, the word's origin clearly predates these recent uses, as is proven by the words of Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone).

"Yo, Regina, it's me, Jay Are."

"Yo" has even become part of the vernacular of world leaders. On July 17, 2006, President George W. Bush addressed UK Prime Minister Tony Blair with the words, "Yo, Blair. How are you doing?", during a conversation overheard in the margins of the summit of the Group of Eight industrialised nations (G8) in St Petersburg, Russia.