Hmm! I have a cow-orker who often responds to questions with No, even when she eventually means yes. Often, though, she really does say and mean no, and it’s annoying – it seems like she wants to say “No” to every request, and then she’ll think up the reason for saying no afterwards. Maybe she’s just sort of a unhelpful/pessimistic person, though. But then again, in other ways she’s not unhelpful. Her native language is Portugese. I am going to ask her about this! Maybe a language quirk or convention contributes to her frequent use of no.
What do they say if you ask them a question to which “no” is legitimately the answer?
“Would you like me to smash your testicles with a mallet?”
“No— No!”
“…Nanette.” 
Was there a Flann O’Brien character, in “The Third Policeman”, I think, who had decided that “No” was usally the best answer to any question.
He explained that such very few friends as he did wish to have were normally kind enough to phrase their questions in an appropriate way - e.g. “WOuld youo refuse to have a glass of whisky with me?”
Rats - I meant “wasn’t there a …”
It seems that my language skills are going too. 
If they have children of a certain age and level of creative exuberance, the word “no” could simply be a verbal reflex.
No, I’m serious.
At last–perhaps an answer instead of all this speculation! If I knew anyone who did this, I’d certainly ask why–in a gentle and friendly way, of course.
I’ll be watching here for results!
There is a character on “The Vicar of Dibley” British TV show that started every statement with “No no no no no no…”
Once they showed his wife, and I think she started every statement with “Yes yes yes yes yes yes…”
Really funny.
But not funny in real live, I’m sure.
real life
Geez, what is wrong with me?
Old Mathers.
Hmmm. I have a bad habit of starting a lot of conversations with the word “also”. Even if it’s the first time I’ve spoken to that person that day.
It’s a bit of a verbal crutch for me, since I stutter. A crutch can help me jump-start my speech, especially when I’m tired and thus very prone to having full-out stops on certain sounds.
But, that’s just me. The OP’s use of “no” could just be the equivalent of “umm” or “uhh”, as has already been suggested. Just a crutch of a somewhat different kind. Crutches can easily become habits, even if you no longer need them.
The use of starting with “yes” in answer to any question, though, might be seen as simple acknowledgement of the question itself.
I start some sentences with “yeah, no”.
“do you want to go to lunch today?”
“yeah, no, I’ll do that.”
I also start them with “well, you know” and just plain “you know” even when they don’t belong.
The “yeah, no” thing is a little odd when I write it, but in person it comes across much more just like an “um” or “er” or whatever.
I think that they’re all “silence fillers” while I put together my thoughts on the question. I’m sure linguists have looked at this kind of thing.
AAAACK! My former boss used to start every fuckin’ sentence with “Again.” It drove me absolutely nuts, because it made it sound like he had already explained whatever he was saying. Example:
Me: "Where do I file these reports? (that I’ve never seen before?)
Him: Again, they are filed in Cabinet #20.
Me: Um, OK… (WTF???)
I think it’s compulsive, like those noises that people make when they’re thinking. You know, those noises? You make them too, even if you don’t know it.
Yikes, imagine someone starting every post with “Again,…”
I would hate them.
I have the exceedingly bad habit of starting sentences with “if.”
“If you could fax this for me, please!”
“If you could hold for me, please.”
I don’t mean to do it!
Shouldn’t that be:
Blue!
No, yellooooooooooow!
I had a friend that would end all his sentences with “mmmmm-kay?” Just like that guy on South Park.
:dubious:
Blue!
No, Green!
AAAUUUGHHHH!!!
:rolleyes:
Kids these days. No respect for the classics.
It’s Yellooowwww…I’d swear on my left buttcheek.
Unless you’re referencing something other than Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Then I’m a complete ass.