ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => VCE English Studies => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE English Language => Topic started by: maturegambino on November 04, 2013, 08:31:55 pm

Title: 'Yeah-no'
Post by: maturegambino on November 04, 2013, 08:31:55 pm
A few practice exams I've encountered this year have often referred to spoken transcripts wherein a speaker will say "yeah, nah".
A question will then ask what is the purpose of this phrase and it ALWAYS trips me up!
What exactly does this mean?
Title: Re: 'Yeah-no'
Post by: alondouek on November 04, 2013, 09:16:01 pm
In my experience, 'yeah-nah' can either be used in an affirmative or negative sense.

Affirmative: "yeah" is meant, and the nah is used as a speech disfluency (like 'um').

Negative: "nah" is meant, and the yeah acts as a speech disfluency.



Disclaimer: I've haven't studied Eng Lang.
Title: Re: 'Yeah-no'
Post by: Starlight on November 04, 2013, 09:33:16 pm
Check out these links: http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2013/05/yeah-no.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/10/1086749839972.html
http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2012/06/14/yeah-no/
Title: 'Yeah-no'
Post by: maturegambino on November 04, 2013, 10:03:47 pm
awesome! thank you both! :)