On the Different Meanings of “Yes”

For many years, my research has focused on why people say “yes.” But I think it is important to note the variance in the meanings of the word yes.  When someone says, “do you love me” and the other replies “yes,” they have provided an answer, but have done so with a range of meanings.  That “yes” can mean so much and so little at the same time.  But when one says “yes” on one “particular” option over another, then that “yes” has a “particular” clarity. I mentioned these two examples only to emphasize that the nature of “yes” itself must be carefully understood. Two people can reply “yes” and yet give two different answers.