Yeah, no.

[Bullgrit]

In recent many months/couple years? I've noticed this phrase come into pretty wide use: "Yeah, no." I've even caught myself using it completely naturally, without thinking about it.

When and how did this phrase come into our regular usage?

Bullgrit

 

[Dioltach]

Isn't it from Friends? I seem to remember Rachel in particular prefacing every other sentence with "Yeah ...".

 

[Morrus]

Isn't it from Friends? I seem to remember Rachel in particular prefacing every other sentence with "Yeah ...".

It definitely has a 90s sitcom vibe to me.

 

[Bagpuss]

I've heard "Yes, but no." and "no, no, no, no, no, yes" made famous by Jim Trott.

[video=youtube;InTAt2hI_kg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InTAt2hI_kg[/video]

 

[Cor Azer]

Couldn't say when that verbal tic came to the fore, but I have long had that habit of prefacing almost everything I say with 'No, ...' even if it wasn't a yes/no question.

 

[Cadence]

Some musings, quotes, and another link half-way down...
http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2012/06/14/yeah-no/

 

[Deset Gled]

Some musings, quotes, and another link half-way down...
http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2012/06/14/yeah-no/

Interesting article, but the author's Google-fu is extremely weak. In less than 5 minutes I was able to find these two uses that predates his earliest find (1997):

First, in 1994, but kinda cheating because it's obviously a case of English-as-a-second-language:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/soc.culture.sri-lanka/Cdz4cLGZ4Jc/7MFAVyCu5AkJ

Second, in 1996:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/soc.culture.hawaii/j4lLg4LFQ6k/G_XNPK8JYFYJ

 

[Umbran]

In my personal lexicon, the most common use is:

Wife: Describes something that has happened in the world using an incredulous tone that basically asks, "Can you believe this nonsense"?

Me: Yeah, no. (Meaning, "Yes, I hear you, and I agree with you that no, that is not an intelligent or correct thing.")

 

[PigKnight]

I've said it as "Yeaaaaaaah-no."

 

[Ragnar_Lodbrok]

I've used it before, mostly when someone makes an utterly asinine suggestion. My polite response would usually be something saying that, while it is an option, it's idiotic and here's why, so "Yeah, no" is just a shortening of that. It does sound like something from a '90s sitcom, so I would guess that as the origin.