General
yeah, no
What does yeah, no mean?
A stacked agreement/disagreement marker that can mean yes, no, or a soft decline depending on inflection and what follows.
"'Should we drive in this blizzard?' 'Yeah, no.'"
Origin
Widespread American discourse marker, strongly associated with Upper Midwest speech.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'yeah, no' mean?
It's a discourse marker whose meaning shifts with tone; it can soften a refusal, acknowledge a point before disagreeing, or ultimately mean 'no.'
How is 'yeah, no' different from 'no, yeah'?
Generally 'yeah, no' lands on 'no' while 'no, yeah' lands on 'yes,' but the final meaning depends heavily on inflection and what follows.
Where is 'yeah, no' associated with?
It's used widely across American English but is strongly linked with Upper Midwest speech.
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