Comments on: Yeah-no and no-yeah again http://noncompositional.com/2008/04/yeah-no-and-no-yeah-again/ Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:40:57 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Russell http://noncompositional.com/2008/04/yeah-no-and-no-yeah-again/comment-page-1/#comment-27863 Russell Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:06:37 +0000 http://noncompositional.com/?p=234#comment-27863 <p>Somehow "New Yorker" and "relaxed and non-confrontational" don't seem like words that belong in the same sentence.</p> <p>(Geoff Pullum, this one goes out to you)</p> Somehow “New Yorker” and “relaxed and non-confrontational” don’t seem like words that belong in the same sentence.

(Geoff Pullum, this one goes out to you)

]]> By: koron http://noncompositional.com/2008/04/yeah-no-and-no-yeah-again/comment-page-1/#comment-27843 koron Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:02:24 +0000 http://noncompositional.com/?p=234#comment-27843 <p>but not them, the teens. that's what i meant. it's just more a part of speech than an intentional thing. a mimicry, or an attempt to be part of the cool crowd. wait 'till they realize we're not cool. then it'll go away (fingers crossed)</p> but not them, the teens. that’s what i meant. it’s just more a part of speech than an intentional thing. a mimicry, or an attempt to be part of the cool crowd. wait ’till they realize we’re not cool. then it’ll go away (fingers crossed)

]]> By: koron http://noncompositional.com/2008/04/yeah-no-and-no-yeah-again/comment-page-1/#comment-27842 koron Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:59:55 +0000 http://noncompositional.com/?p=234#comment-27842 <p>A'ight. I'm gonna let you in on the secret. Do you know what the words "random" and "irony" have in common? Find that intersection and you've found the sense in which the relaxed "yeah" precedes every sentence uttered from someone who's attempting to pretend to be a New Yorker (the world over). Yeah, no I'm serious. Can't you just picture it. I think the "yeah" was originally meant to imply that the comment was coming from a relaxed and non-confrontational standpoint. However, I think that standpoint has flipped onto its head, and now that relaxed tone is what people use to convey information they REALLY want you to believe, but have adopted a kind of surface non-confidence in their power to get you to believe it or believe in its importance.</p> <p>Bite your lower lip. It'll be over in a generation. Notice that the teens who talk this way do it with a lot more confidence than we 20-somethings. But we're the ones who're confident in its usage.</p> A’ight. I’m gonna let you in on the secret. Do you know what the words “random” and “irony” have in common? Find that intersection and you’ve found the sense in which the relaxed “yeah” precedes every sentence uttered from someone who’s attempting to pretend to be a New Yorker (the world over). Yeah, no I’m serious. Can’t you just picture it. I think the “yeah” was originally meant to imply that the comment was coming from a relaxed and non-confrontational standpoint. However, I think that standpoint has flipped onto its head, and now that relaxed tone is what people use to convey information they REALLY want you to believe, but have adopted a kind of surface non-confidence in their power to get you to believe it or believe in its importance.

Bite your lower lip. It’ll be over in a generation. Notice that the teens who talk this way do it with a lot more confidence than we 20-somethings. But we’re the ones who’re confident in its usage.

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