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Impact of "yo" particle on Ike! Yamero! and other verbs in command form

VeritasKhan

Registered
14 May 2017
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My current understanding is below. (Not sure if this is correct):

行け
Ike! -> (I order you to) Go!
Ike yo! -> (I order you to) Go! (and I'm not backing down! Seriously, I'm telling you to go!)

止めろ
Yamero! -> (I order you to) stop!
Yamero yo! -> (I order you to) stop! (and I'm not backing down! Seriously, I'm telling you to stop!)

I've read that adding "yo"
1. can soften the order a bit
2. can show more strong will on the part of the speaker (They are not backing down!)
3. indicates the speaker is providing new information

I'm really curious about what situations an average person might choose to add "yo" to a command-form verb.

Thanks!
 
よ indeed is usually used to soften the nuance of order with imperative forms. For instance, やめろよ/やめてよ is often used in a situation where friends/lovers frolic about. However, it can express the speaker's irritation with a falling intonation, and also can be a soft/tender advise/suggestion with a rising intonation(e.g. こんなことはもうやめろよ↑ (=しちゃだめだよ)). Thus, it totally depends on the context including intonation, tone, etc. whether よ should be used or not, as always. (Note it's said that sentence final particles are one of the hardest, or maybe the most hardest thing to grasp for non-native learners, even for advanced or near-native learners.)
 
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