Yes vs. I am

[Roger Shuy]

I've been absent from the List for a few months so I apologize if this topic
already has been discussed.

Has anyone else noticed what seems to me to be a turn toward answering
yes/no questions with "I am," "I will," "I'm not," and "I won't" as opposed
to "Yes" or "No." Not even "Yes I am," "Yes I will," "No  I'm not," or "No I
won't." I have no hard data to back this impression but I believe I am
hearing it used mostly by relatively educated people in a wide range of
contexts. Has anyone else sensed this?

Roger Shuy

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