The Origin of "Yay!"

Nearly every woman I know--regardless of age, race, geography or cup-size--uses the word "Yay!" (Some dudes use it, too. But not with nearly the same frequency as the average woman.)

They use it supportively. They use it to express their own jubilation. They even use it as conversational filler.

But has this always been the case?

I don't recall "Yay!" being so commonly used 10 years ago. While I may be wrong, I do want to get to the bottom of the "Yay-nomenon." So, I asked google 'cause google knows everything.

Curiously, google didn't have an answer.

Which led me to ask a friend of mine in a a recent AIM convo. (My AIM name is "th cptl t." "F.O." = "friend of") She posed an interesting theory as to where "Yay!" comes from:

F.O. th cptl t (12:35:48 PM): mothers
F.O. th cptl t (12:36:00 PM): when a child does something good
F.O. th cptl t (12:36:09 PM): we say "yay!" to encourage them
F.O. th cptl t (12:36:48 PM): i think it's said to all babies
F.O. th cptl t (12:36:55 PM): but as the child gets older
F.O. th cptl t (12:37:03 PM): only girls continue to hear it
F.O. th cptl t (12:37:18 PM): and boys get "good job" or "allllllright!"
th cptl T (12:37:41 PM): so, it's a mother thing?
th cptl T (12:37:45 PM): interesting
F.O. th cptl t (12:38:42 PM): i think mothers started it
F.O. th cptl t (12:38:50 PM): and since every girl has a mother
F.O. th cptl t (12:38:55 PM): we keep it going
F.O. th cptl t (12:39:10 PM): i think most mothers stop saying "yay!" to their sons
F.O. th cptl t (12:39:16 PM): when they turn 2 or 3

So that's it. "Yay!" is the product of feminine nurturing. And it probably doesn't hurt that it's a word seemingly built for a text message.