OK and all right

Guest   Mon Nov 26, 2007 11:47 am GMT
Is "OK" in use in British English? And if yes, what is the difference from "all right"
furrykef   Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:39 pm GMT
It's used in many languages all over the world, all dialects of English among them. I don't think there is any difference between "OK" and "all right".

By the way, I would say "if so" rather than "if yes".

- Kef
Guest   Mon Nov 26, 2007 6:37 pm GMT
BTW, is it true that OK comes from Ol Korekt (or something similar)?
furrykef   Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:22 pm GMT
Grammar Crab   Mon Nov 26, 2007 10:11 pm GMT
Is it possible that such usage is an example of how language changes, or is it just plain wrong? OK, all right, I like the "yes" and I think one could make a case for it in a colloquial sort of way. I think "if so" makes me pause or think just very briefly about what it references, but with the "yes" I got it right away and kept going. It's hard to say, really, because the "so" wasn't there originally.
Guest   Mon Nov 26, 2007 10:20 pm GMT
Are you a native speaker, Grammar Crab? I've never heard one say "if yes".
TomJimJack   Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:22 am GMT
"If yes" is used in questionnaries. Something like "Did you ever steal anything? If yes, enumerate the items, their value and amounts of taxes paid..." and other blah blah blah
furrykef   Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:05 pm GMT
True, you can say "if yes" in that case, but I think that construction is almost never used outside that very specific context. I think it occurs mainly because there is often a "Yes/No" box after the first question, before the "if yes" part. It's understood that "if yes" is short for "if you answered 'yes'".

- Kef
Grammar Crab   Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:47 pm GMT
Yes, I am a native English speaker. I'd never -say- "if yes," but I might write it. In actual speech, the Q&A would go something like this:
Q: Is "OK" in use in British English?
A: Yes.
Q: What's the difference between "OK" and "all right"?
A: I don't think there's any difference.

I like TomJimJack's response and I would add that in the technical contexts in which I work, thinking "if yes" or "if no" is common.

Both "if so" and "if yes" could be seen as shortened versions of "if that is so" and "if the answer is yes."
Guest   Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:08 pm GMT
OK comes from the Independence War and means 0 Killed
furrykef   Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:59 am GMT
Guest - you didn't read the link I posted, did you?