nossuh
English
[edit]Contraction
[edit]nossuh
- Pronunciation spelling of no, sir, representing African-American Vernacular English.
- 1954, Ian Fleming, “No Sensayuma”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 73:
- 'Hurt him considerably. Ride him down to Bellevue Hospital and dump him nearby. Got that?' 'Yassuh.' 'Don't be seen.' 'Nossuh.' Mr. Big centred the switch.
Usage notes
[edit]This spelling is only used in response to a question or command, most commonly in written representations of the speech of African American slaves.
The alternative spelling "nossah" is generally used as an eye dialect representation of New England speech, more specifically in the Downeast region of Maine. It is used as a general-purpose affirmative response.