# When did "Yeah, no..." become the new "Well..."? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 8, 2023, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866 "2023-03-08T11:05:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/21 "2023-03-09T04:57:43Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > Maybe but i frequently hear “yeah, no, that’s exactly right.” There’s a common phrase in South African mixed English/Afrikaans: “Ja, nê, but fine” which is an almost exact translation of that phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/22 "2023-03-09T07:57:04Z")
You will find earlier hits if you look for “yeah nah”. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/23 "2023-03-09T13:03:57Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > Ja, nê, but fine You’re mixing up two expressions there. _Ja, nee_ is the [pure Afrikaans](https://dsae.co.za/entry/janee/e03453) direct “Yeah, no” equivalent. The “nê” spelling you’ve used is an [interrogative](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/n%C3%AA) (similar to the Japanese ne ね,) so more like “yeah, don’t you think?”. _Ja well no fine_ is the [mixed Afrikaans/English expression](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ja_well_no_fine) I think you’re thinking of. It has [a known provenance](https://dsae.co.za/entry/ja/e03411#ja-well-no-fine) Both can carry a range of situational meanings, from agreement to ambivalence to disagreement to merely interjective. More so for _ja-nee_, and it’s the one I (a mother-tongue Afrikaans speaker) would use for “yeah, no, that’s exactly right”. I don’t doubt that the particular expression you’re using there gets said, but it’s not “a common phrase” in that form. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/24 "2023-03-09T14:04:39Z")
I take “yeah, no” to mean something different from “well”. I usually take it to mean something like “yeah I know this question, and the answer is no”. “Well” on the other hand is short for “that is all well”. It sounds wrong to my ear to hear “well” without “and” or “but” or similar words right after it. I think it’s somewhat interchangeable with “that’s fine”, and begins a response. I might answer “well, and we can certainly do that” or “well, but we won’t be able to do that”. The definitions here are weird: > **[Well definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/well)** > > Well definition: You say well to indicate that you are about to say something. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples They aren’t really definitions; they are more like coaching instructions on how you can use it. There’s actually a meaning behind it, you know! ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/25 "2023-03-09T14:14:26Z")
Haha… well, I dont really speak Afrikaans. Even my colloquial Afrikaans is Kaapse Taal, mostly insults learnt from travelling on public transport from the gaatjies, so not ideal. I bow to your better knowledge. I had some issues decidiing if I should use “nee” or “nê” and I got the wrong one. The pronunciation is slightly different but not enought to my untrained ears. Interestingly, and completely off topic, I find the pure Stellenbosh Afrikaans much easier to understand. I dont speak or read it but I can follow conversations. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/26 "2023-03-09T14:22:47Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > I had some issues decidiing if I should use “neè” or “nê” It’s neither, it’s just _nee_, no diacritical marks. I don’t think _neè_ is a word in Afrikaans at all, and _nê_ is, like I said, just an interrogative. > [@scudsucker](#): > > Interestingly, and completely off topic, I find the pure Stellenbosh Afrikaans much easier to understand It is better articulated, so probably easier to hear what’s being said. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/27 "2023-03-09T16:41:33Z")
The “yeah” is sarcasm, the real answer is “no.” “Yeah” as in sarcastically said, “Suuure, riiight–that’s not gonna happen” or “Suuure, riiight–that’s a hell no.” ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/28 "2023-03-09T16:46:02Z")
I don’t think you all are hearing the same "Yeah, no"s I am. It’s a mindless starting phrase, totally without meaning. No significance, no agreement, no negation at all. It’s just a placeholder, while the speaker prepares whatever remarks he has to say in response. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/29 "2023-03-09T16:48:30Z")
It’s definitely soaked in either sarcasm or irony to my ear. It’s not a delay word like well, or so, or um. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/30 "2023-03-09T16:53:02Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > …It’s a mindless starting phrase, totally without meaning. No significance, no agreement, no negation at all. It’s just a placeholder, while the speaker prepares whatever remarks he has to say in response. I remember this being pointed out to me at work, as a peculiarity of a colleague’s manner of speaking - using the words exactly as you describe… > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The first hit on [Urban Dictionary](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yeah+no) is from 2004, meaning “a smooth way to tell someone fuck no.” > > The second is from 2008 and is suitably cranky. “A phrase that people now use to start sentences for some goddamn reason.” …and because this occurred at work, I can put a date on it. I had that job from 2001 - 2004, which is a pretty good match for the Urban Dictionary cite. London, BTW. j ETA: the fact that it was pointed out as a peculiarity _may_ indicate that it was a fairly novel thing at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/31 "2023-03-09T17:31:42Z")
Interesting. The first is from 2003 and the others are all later and Australian. I couldn’t tell if the first was Australian as well, but it didn’t sound American. Thinking about variants made me wonder whether the sound might have evolved from the older ubiquitous “you know” though “ya know” and “yanno”. Here’s an example of a very similar usage. > ## [ya know](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ya+know) > > Used as an immediate response right after someone says something that is inappropriate, offensive, or inopportune. When used in this context, the word “know” is usually dragged out followed by an immediate sigh. > > Example: > > Jack: Yo man, I was the supermarket the other day … and let me tell you, those middle aged mothers are HOT! > > Steve: Ya know! _sigh_ … > > Jack: Oh come on, I’m serious! > > by SharkFangFist April 9, 2007 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/32 "2023-03-09T18:06:39Z")
The primary exposure I have to it is not sarcastic, and doesn’t come across as “yeah, right, yo’ mama” or equivalent at all. There’s not a lot of sense behind it, but it seems to amount to “yeah sort of but let me clarify”: “So you’ll get here before three, right?” “Yeah, we’ll have plenty of time to eat before the show” “Yeah, no. I was thinking I could either make something at home or we could go out to that Thai place you like” ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/33 "2023-03-09T18:23:17Z")
I’ve got this model dialogue in my head of an agreement “Yeah, no” “Wow, that class was boring. I thought I saw you falling asleep.” “Yeah, no. I was asleep, dreaming it was summer.” In this case it’s “Yeah that class was boring. No, I wasn’t falling asleep - I was already dreaming” - perfectly logical, just terse. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/34 "2023-03-09T18:30:30Z")
All the different interpretations is probably a good argument for banishing it from all verbal intercourse. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/35 "2023-03-09T21:13:40Z")
“Yeah nah” is very much self identified as being from New Zealand but I don’t know how long Kiwi’s think they’ve been saying it. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/36 "2023-03-09T21:42:22Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > I don’t think you all are hearing the same "Yeah, no"s I am. > > It’s a mindless starting phrase, totally without meaning. No significance, no agreement, no negation at all. It’s just a placeholder, while the speaker prepares whatever remarks he has to say in response. Placeholder for sure. Akin to the one I hear even more frequently: **"Yeah, so . . . "** Especially during the contestant interview section of _Jeopardy_. Host says, “I understand you enjoy collecting spores, molds and fungus.” Contestant replies, "Yeah, so it started when I was blah, blah, blah . . . " My husband pointed it out to me and once I began listening for it, I heard it almost every day. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/37 "2023-03-09T21:46:08Z")
> [@Proudest\_Monkey](#): > > once I began listening for it, I heard it almost every day I watch a lot of MSNBC, and now that I’ve noticed it, I find that almost every guest responding to a host’s queries begins in this fashion, almost all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/38 "2023-03-09T21:46:46Z")
So it’s a useful place-holder, composed of actual words, rather than “um.” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/39 "2023-03-09T23:03:44Z")
Yeah, no. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866/40 "2023-03-09T23:11:50Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Before that, I recall it as the catchphrase for a Matt Lucas character on _Little Britain_. The annoying teenage girl. Vicky Pollard. I loved her. But her phrase was “Yeah, but. No, but yeah but” ad fininitum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-yeah-no-become-the-new-well/980866.md?page=3)