correct use of "aye"?

[meerkat30]

Hello,

Could someone please tell me if I'm using "aye, aye" (here meaning "yes") correctly?

A: Would you like to be my friend?
B: Aye, aye.

Is "aye, aye" a phrase that's heard frequently in Scotland?

Thanks for any help!

[ANDY-J3]

You would just use aye on its own to mean yes. "Aye, aye" is a nautical term as in "Aye, aye captain" for example.

[PeterSandy]

Originally Posted by meerkat30

Hello,

Could someone please tell me if I'm using "aye, aye" (here meaning "yes") correctly?

A: Would you like to be my friend?
B: Aye, aye.

Is "aye, aye" a phrase that's heard frequently in Scotland?

Thanks for any help!

According to Chambers Twentieth Century [Etymological] Dictionary:
ay, aye, means yes; indeed.

aye, a vote in the affirmative; one who votes in the affirmative. [perhaps a dialect form of aye, ever; perhaps a varient of yea].

aye, ay, means ever; always; for ever. In combination, with sense of ever, as in Shakespeare's aye'-remain'ing etc. [derived from Old Norse, ei, ever; Old English, connected with age, ever.]

meercat, believe it or not, the Scots language is actually a group of northern Middle-English dialects with borrowings.

[meerkat30]

Thanks for your replies.

How about this:

''in Scotland, saying “aye, aye” is the equivalent of saying “yes, yes”'

Does that sound wrong to you?

Sorry for the odd questions - it's come up in something I'm proof-reading.

[ScotSites]

Originally Posted by PeterSandy

believe it or not, the Scots language is actually a group of northern Middle-English dialects with borrowings.

PeterSandy, believe it or not, but meerkat30 asked if "aye, aye" is a phrase that's heard frequently in Scotland; the origins of the Scots language is not being questioned here!

Meerkat30, as Andy states, "aye" is generally just used on its own in Scotland to mean "yes"! Its unusual, but not totally unheard of, to hear someone say "aye, aye" (except, again as Andy states, in a nautical situation!)

[meerkat30]

Good to know. Thanks for your help!

[Robert Knight]

Actually, you can say "aye, aye" in place of a hello.