More
"Yeah, no."
and lots of it.
Quote:
|
Maybe this protean little phrase is so useful that some people become addicted to it, and for them it becomes lexicalized as a unitary discourse marker simply indicating that an opinion follows, or something of the sort. However, I didn't look to see whether there's a different pattern of usage among people who are especially fond of this sequence, as Matt suggests there might be.
|
from a
subsequently linked post on the same subject:
Quote:
Steve at Language Hat pointed out, in the nicest possible way, that he scooped me back on 6/13/2004 ("Yeah no"). His post cites an article in The Age, which quotes Kate Burridge:
Professor Burridge says the phrase falls into three main categories, each determined by context. The literal agrees before adding another point, the abstract defuses a comment and the textual lets the speaker go back to an earlier point.
|
I yield. I accept the reality of the presence of this artifact in the language I share with the people I interact with. I hope I can avoid its usage in earnest, though I reserve the right to use it for fun.
I must say I liked learning about contranyms (also called auto-antonyms, antagonyms, Janus words, and antiologies).
Language is fun!