I’ve noticed a new trend in language recently. I call it the “yeah-no.” I’ve just realized that not only do I use the “yeah-no” rather frequently, so does everyone around me.
While I’d like to take credit for having inspired this new literary phrase (I had aspirations in high school of inventing the next synonym for “cool” that would spread across the nation), I really can’t. I’ve started hearing the “yeah-no” from everyone, not just people who know me well enough to want to imitate my brilliant, um, speech pattern.
The “yeah-no” is the literary equivalent of that perky friend in high school who would admire everything you did to your face and then tell everyone else what a rotten person you were. It’s linguistic diplomacy. The “yeah-no” is snarky.
That’s because the “yeah-no” is really a “no” that masquerades as a “yeah” for a split second until the speaker crushes it with the ensuing “no.”
“So are you going to make it to my party this weekend?” “Yeah, no, I’ve got a million things to do.” The respondent adds on a “yeah” to break the news easily.
I did some online research and learned that there are multiple ways to use it, including “confirming a generality but denying a specific” and as a bashful response to praise. One post dates it back to celebrity interviews on the late night shows in 2003. Another said the phrase has dominated in
Not to confuse the issue, but I have started using the “yeah-no” when I actually mean “yeah.” Perhaps it’s because I’m already moving on to the answer that my brain doesn’t take the time to determine if I need to say “yes” or “no” to the questioner. This positive usage actually dates back to 1990 in Boston, according one online comment.
Anyone else ever heard the same speech oddity? (Pay attention! You’ll hear it more.) Any uses I’ve left out here?
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