SNL Sketch About No Yes
April 25, 2011 10:19 AM Subscribe
Does it bother anyone else when people say "Yeah. No." or vice versa? Saturday Night Live spoofed this in the last few years. Help me find the sketch or other examples of people criticizing this recent-ish sentence structure.
I've developed a pet peeve when people respond to a question with "Yes. No." or "No. Yes" or "No. You're right." It's usually a contraction of something like, "No, you're not wrong. Yes, I agree." For some reason it bugs me. I think it's come into the vernacular here (Washington, DC) in the last five years or so.
My memory of the SNL sketch was that it was a large-ish group of people, maybe a family sitting around a living room. I think Bill Hader or Jason Sudeikis was in sketch. It was within the last few years. The sketch revolved around someone making a statement, then someone else replying "Yeah. No." and then the asker saying something like "I can't tell if you're agreeing or disagreeing with me." It was probably on toward the end of its episode.
I tried searching around on this site for transcripts but didn't find anything matching my memory.
Additionally if you know of an article about this trend in speech, I'd like to read it.
I've developed a pet peeve when people respond to a question with "Yes. No." or "No. Yes" or "No. You're right." It's usually a contraction of something like, "No, you're not wrong. Yes, I agree." For some reason it bugs me. I think it's come into the vernacular here (Washington, DC) in the last five years or so.
My memory of the SNL sketch was that it was a large-ish group of people, maybe a family sitting around a living room. I think Bill Hader or Jason Sudeikis was in sketch. It was within the last few years. The sketch revolved around someone making a statement, then someone else replying "Yeah. No." and then the asker saying something like "I can't tell if you're agreeing or disagreeing with me." It was probably on toward the end of its episode.
I tried searching around on this site for transcripts but didn't find anything matching my memory.
Additionally if you know of an article about this trend in speech, I'd like to read it.
The article John Cohen linked to also has links to further "yeah, no" discussion on Language Log. It looks like (mefi's own) languagehat also has a "yeah no" post.
posted by Vibrissa at 10:39 AM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Vibrissa at 10:39 AM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
It doesn't bug me at all. Maybe it's context. Typically I hear it when someone is advocating for something--usually something that the other person would not like--and is a response that is along the lines of "yeah, I see that you keep trying to sell this, but no, I don't want to do it." I think it's funny.
posted by Kimberly at 10:39 AM on April 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Kimberly at 10:39 AM on April 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
I seem to remember hearing this first as one of Bill Lumbergh's verbal tics, but my memory is often faulty in this way.
posted by ErikaB at 10:40 AM on April 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by ErikaB at 10:40 AM on April 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
I remember an early appearance of it by Phoebe on Friends.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:47 AM on April 25, 2011
posted by Chrysostom at 10:47 AM on April 25, 2011
It bothers me too! Instantly remind's me of Lumbergh (Lumbergh!), but also Vicky Pollard from Little Britain... either of those characters should go into the "reasons why not to" folder.
posted by activitystory at 10:50 AM on April 25, 2011
posted by activitystory at 10:50 AM on April 25, 2011
Best answer: There's Vicky Pollard in Little Britain with "Yeah but, no but."
And there's this exchange from Season 1, episode 9 of How I Met Your Mother:
Ted: So, Lil, Marshall's family. Whole weekend with the future in-laws, you excited?
Lily: Yeah, no, it'll be fun.
Robin: Lily, you just said, "yeah, no."
Lily: Did I? No, I, I love Marshall's family.
Robin, Ted: Oh.
Lily: But, yeah, no, it'll be great.
Ted: You just did it again.
Lily: Yeah, no, shut up.
posted by teraspawn at 10:52 AM on April 25, 2011
And there's this exchange from Season 1, episode 9 of How I Met Your Mother:
Ted: So, Lil, Marshall's family. Whole weekend with the future in-laws, you excited?
Lily: Yeah, no, it'll be fun.
Robin: Lily, you just said, "yeah, no."
Lily: Did I? No, I, I love Marshall's family.
Robin, Ted: Oh.
Lily: But, yeah, no, it'll be great.
Ted: You just did it again.
Lily: Yeah, no, shut up.
posted by teraspawn at 10:52 AM on April 25, 2011
Used in the correct context, there's nothing wrong with this construction. Likewise, "I know, right?" also conveys something specific when applied correctly and bothers me not one bit.
posted by Aquaman at 10:54 AM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Aquaman at 10:54 AM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
FYI, this happens in Russian too, and I think it sounds even weirder there. Frequently you'll hear people say "Da, Nyet" when they really mean Nyet/No.
posted by litnerd at 11:00 AM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by litnerd at 11:00 AM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
For what it's worth, I think it is adequately clear: "I acknowledge what you are saying but I disagree," in general.
As a side note, I am always slightly surprised when we have threads on a neologism where someone does NOT pull out an instance of it be used by Defoe or Macaulay or somebody else centuries past.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:11 AM on April 25, 2011
As a side note, I am always slightly surprised when we have threads on a neologism where someone does NOT pull out an instance of it be used by Defoe or Macaulay or somebody else centuries past.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:11 AM on April 25, 2011
Response by poster: John Cohen, I'm guessing that's it and I've confused it with another sketch. I did see it when searching around but was sticking with my memory of a home setting and not a restaurant.
posted by davextreme at 11:12 AM on April 25, 2011
posted by davextreme at 11:12 AM on April 25, 2011
Response by poster: Oh, "Clearing the Air" was, according to that site, November of 2008. The Language Log post was May 2008, so it couldn't have been referring to the same one. The video doesn't play for me, either. It's something from NBC's website but networks often take stuff down after a few weeks.
posted by davextreme at 11:18 AM on April 25, 2011
posted by davextreme at 11:18 AM on April 25, 2011
Not about "yeah, no" but about a similar utterance is the famous story about the philosopher Sidney Morgenbesser. He was at an academic talk about some aspect of linguistics and the speaker mentioned that it's interesting that a double negative turns into a positive, but the reverse isn't true -- a double positive doesn't turn into a negative. From the back of the room, Morgenbesser said "yeah, right."
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:21 AM on April 25, 2011 [10 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:21 AM on April 25, 2011 [10 favorites]
I've heard the story both ways, so I usually go with the first version I heard, but I don't know which is true.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:59 AM on April 25, 2011
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:59 AM on April 25, 2011
I'm guilty of saying "yeah, no, [blah blah blah]." When I say it, I mean it as a shortened form of "yes, I am acknowledging what you've said, but, no, I disagree with you, and here's why."
The "no" first construction ("no, you're right" or "no, yeah") would only come up if I were responding to someone saying something like, "I mean, kids shouldn't be suspended just for bringing advil to school." To mean "no, kids shouldn't be suspended for bringing advil to school, you're right."
If you break them down, you'll see they are (definitely for me, probably for most people) based on completely sensible phrases.
posted by phunniemee at 12:08 PM on April 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
The "no" first construction ("no, you're right" or "no, yeah") would only come up if I were responding to someone saying something like, "I mean, kids shouldn't be suspended just for bringing advil to school." To mean "no, kids shouldn't be suspended for bringing advil to school, you're right."
If you break them down, you'll see they are (definitely for me, probably for most people) based on completely sensible phrases.
posted by phunniemee at 12:08 PM on April 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
> this happens in Russian too, and I think it sounds even weirder there. Frequently you'll hear people say "Da, Nyet" when they really mean Nyet/No.
I don't think it's the same thing; I believe the да in that expression is not the word for 'yes' but the conjunction somewhere between 'and' and 'but'; cf. принесите мне водки, да поскорее! 'bring me some vodka, and make it snappy!" and я проводил бы тебя, да времени нету "I'd come with you, but I don't have time." (In other words, it's parallel to French mais non.)
There's some interesting discussion in the LH thread Vibrissa linked to.
posted by languagehat at 12:17 PM on April 25, 2011
I don't think it's the same thing; I believe the да in that expression is not the word for 'yes' but the conjunction somewhere between 'and' and 'but'; cf. принесите мне водки, да поскорее! 'bring me some vodka, and make it snappy!" and я проводил бы тебя, да времени нету "I'd come with you, but I don't have time." (In other words, it's parallel to French mais non.)
There's some interesting discussion in the LH thread Vibrissa linked to.
posted by languagehat at 12:17 PM on April 25, 2011
I don't speak Spanish, but a friend of mine who did this all the time blamed it on her first language (Spanish - Spain), so there may be a cultural/language thing going on as well.
posted by forforf at 12:51 PM on April 25, 2011
posted by forforf at 12:51 PM on April 25, 2011
Oh, "Clearing the Air" was, according to that site, November of 2008. The Language Log post was May 2008, so it couldn't have been referring to the same one.
Yeah, but SNL often uses recurring characters who rehash jokes from old skits. Could this have been one of those?
posted by John Cohen at 1:04 PM on April 25, 2011
Yeah, but SNL often uses recurring characters who rehash jokes from old skits. Could this have been one of those?
posted by John Cohen at 1:04 PM on April 25, 2011
By the way, I also hate the use of "yeah" followed by a negative statement.
I feel like it's used on The Office a lot. Example:
I feel like it's used on The Office a lot. Example:
Kevin: So Jim, who do you think is hotter, Karen or Pam?Another:
Jim: Yeah, I'm not going to talk about this now.
Michael: Actually, this would be good practice for your wedding toast.posted by John Cohen at 1:16 PM on April 25, 2011
Pam: Yeah, the bride doesn't really do... Have you ever been to a wedding?
It's usually a contraction of something like, "No, you're not wrong. Yes, I agree."
I've never understood it this way. I've always heard it like this:
"Yeah..." [dropping slightly in pitch; perhaps in a slightly pained tone of voice]
(...meaning "I understand what you're getting at, but I'm considering my answer for a moment", or "I understand what you're getting at, but I'm trying to think of a nice way to tell you that it's dumb"...)
"...no."
(...meaning "I've decided that my answer is 'no'", or "I've decided not to waste my time sugar-coating it for you; the answer is just 'no'".)
In other words, what phunniemee said. You can see something similar in the Jim quote that John Cohen mentions: "yeah" acknowledges what the other person has said (and claims the floor to speak next), while giving Jim a moment to figure out exactly how to respond to the unwelcome question.
The phrase is often used in a smarmy and/or dismissive way—so I can see why you'd be annoyed by that.
But maybe you're talking about something else. I've never heard the inverse construction, for example (the negative followed by the affirmative).
posted by ixohoxi at 3:41 PM on April 25, 2011
I've never understood it this way. I've always heard it like this:
"Yeah..." [dropping slightly in pitch; perhaps in a slightly pained tone of voice]
(...meaning "I understand what you're getting at, but I'm considering my answer for a moment", or "I understand what you're getting at, but I'm trying to think of a nice way to tell you that it's dumb"...)
"...no."
(...meaning "I've decided that my answer is 'no'", or "I've decided not to waste my time sugar-coating it for you; the answer is just 'no'".)
In other words, what phunniemee said. You can see something similar in the Jim quote that John Cohen mentions: "yeah" acknowledges what the other person has said (and claims the floor to speak next), while giving Jim a moment to figure out exactly how to respond to the unwelcome question.
The phrase is often used in a smarmy and/or dismissive way—so I can see why you'd be annoyed by that.
But maybe you're talking about something else. I've never heard the inverse construction, for example (the negative followed by the affirmative).
posted by ixohoxi at 3:41 PM on April 25, 2011
I'm with you; it seems strange. I know what people mean when they say it, but sounds kind of weird. Put it on the list of annoying verbal tics.
posted by conrad53 at 7:56 PM on April 25, 2011
posted by conrad53 at 7:56 PM on April 25, 2011
I think there's two different types here: The positive-negative "Yeah, I acknowledge what you're saying, but No, I do not/will not agree with it/to it." Probably used mostly to avoid negating someone right off the bat, similar to the hesitant "Well..."
And there's also the more nervous, jumpy, positive-positive "Yeah, I agree with what you're saying. No, I have no disagreement with what you're saying, which is to say, I absolutely positively agree with what you're saying."
But it's harder to convey this nuance in written form.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:28 PM on April 25, 2011
And there's also the more nervous, jumpy, positive-positive "Yeah, I agree with what you're saying. No, I have no disagreement with what you're saying, which is to say, I absolutely positively agree with what you're saying."
But it's harder to convey this nuance in written form.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:28 PM on April 25, 2011
Likewise, "I know, right?" also conveys something specific when applied correctly and bothers me not one bit.
Maybe we're thinking of different contexts, but this bothers me a lot more than "yeah/no." Basically it means you're agreeing with the original speaker, then rhetorically asking if they agree with you. "Pie is so awesome." "I know! (It's awesome) right?" "Er... yeah. That's what I said."
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:37 PM on April 25, 2011
Maybe we're thinking of different contexts, but this bothers me a lot more than "yeah/no." Basically it means you're agreeing with the original speaker, then rhetorically asking if they agree with you. "Pie is so awesome." "I know! (It's awesome) right?" "Er... yeah. That's what I said."
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:37 PM on April 25, 2011
this recent-ish sentence structure.
It's not recent. I'ts been around in New Zealand English for a long, long time.
posted by rodgerd at 2:43 AM on April 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's not recent. I'ts been around in New Zealand English for a long, long time.
posted by rodgerd at 2:43 AM on April 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
If it helps, try thinking of "I know, right?" as a verbal handshaking protocol. "I've heard you and agree, and I'm confirming that you acknowledge my agreement."
posted by Aquaman at 8:48 AM on April 26, 2011
posted by Aquaman at 8:48 AM on April 26, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
(That was my first result on Google.)
Here's something on Language Log about an SNL sketch with "yes, no." If there's an embedded video there, it's not showing up on my browser, so I can't tell if it's about the same sketch.
posted by John Cohen at 10:30 AM on April 25, 2011