Impact of "yo" particle on Mate and Matte (Wait!)
 

My understanding is this:

待って　Matte is a request.
待て　　Mate is a command.

Adding "yo" after "Matte" (request) makes it a stronger request. It's more blunt, it makes it a less calm tone.

Adding "yo" after "Mate" (command) makes it a weaker command. It's not as blunt, it makes it a calmer tone.

Is this right? Does it work this way for most verbs?


Thanks!

With "YO" at the end, the sentence will have meaning of "I ask you"or "accept it". In a sense, it is like "please". I'm not sure it makes the sentence stronger. Rather, "YO" adds "I told you" or "as you already know" to the sentence. It shows the more strong will and makes it more reasonable (not by force or threat).

And note that when you add "YO" after the action of yourself like "MATSU:wait", it means "MATSU-YO:I will wait".

So adding "yo" doesn't make a request "stronger" (in a sense of making the command more powerful or more blunt/impolite or adding the threat of force).
For example: In English, we'd add a swear word to give a command this quality: "F***ing stop!"
So it sounds like "yo" is NOT the same as that at all. Thanks for clarifying that!

You mentioned "strong will" and "please."
In English I would say that adding "please" to a request:
1. Makes the request more polite
2. Gives the request additional emotional/earnest appeal. It shows your will (you really want the listener to do as you request even though you can't make them through the threat of force) You're "pleading" with someone. You're trying to trigger an emotion that will make them comply with your request.

It sounds like "yo" doesn't make make the request more polite, but it has the 2nd quality (emotional appeal).

So perhaps...

Matte
Matte kudasai - Makes request more polite
Matte yo - Gives request additional emotional/earnest appeal
Matte kudasai yo - More polite, more emotional appeal.

That's my thought process, but don't know how right it is. Thanks again!

"MATTE" and "MATTE KUDASAI" are order or instruction. It is stressful for Japanese people. With "YO", the talker can leave from order/ordered relation and keep (kind of) friend relation. It could be the "emotional appeal as you wrote.

Thanks! That's helpful!

Absoultely very helpful i didn't know all that differences

As a simple understanding, "YO" at the end of sentence means talker's will.

And there is another additional word "NE" which means "right?" or "isn't it?".

There are several such additional words in Japanese which enable "mind connection" in Japanese language.

When I was learning English, I felt difficult to express such "mind connecting words". One day I found English expressions are more easier to compose when I gave up the "mind connection" in the sentences.

"mind connection" is sometimes referred as "気:KI;atmosphere". You will find many Japanese phrases using "KI" like as "KI WO TSUKETE!:take care!", "KI NI NARU:it conserns", "KI GA KIKU:well considered" or "GENKI?:(are you) fine?".

"KI" is the key word (or KI-word) to learn Japanese.