yeah, no

[Laurence Horn]

Right, I'm frequently told about "yeah, no", and the non-equivalent "no, yeah", when I talk (not infrequently) about negation.  I agree that "yes, no" is far less likely (and would indicate changing of mind, which "yeah, no" doesn't).

LH

On Jul 16, 2012, at 6:10 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> Current TV commercial:
>
> LADY AT SEANCE: Thank you, Priceline Negotiator, wherever you are!
>
> SPIRIT MEDIUM: Yeah, no, he's over here.
>
> There's no reason on Wotan's green earth why Beowulf's grandma shouldn't
> have been saying the OE equivalent of this (presumably "gese, na") in
> similar situations, but I've only been noticing it for a few years.
>
> The "yeah" acknowledges the remark, and the "no" instantly denies its
> accuracy before the nay-sayer corrects it.
>
> I've never heard "*yes, no."
>
> Back in the 20th C., when we were all rude primitives, I would have said,
> "No, he's over here." Or "(Well)(Actually) he's over here." But possibly
> those responses are now either too cruelly direct or employ to many
> syllables.
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org