28 Feb 2024

The language of thanks

From Nights, 9:15 pm on 28 February 2024

Why do we in the English language say thanks, cheers, or ta? 

Nights' resident linguist Professor Julia de Bres joins Emile Donovan to explore the language of gratitude.

Two women hugging

'Thank' derives from the word 'think' in Old English, with the meaning moving to 'favourable thought or feeling' as time went on, says Julia de Bres. Photo: Public domain