Question for New Yorkers - Someone help me understand the “yeah yeah yeah” while someone is talking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a New Yorker, I had to leave the area to realize that not everyone holds conversations - especially informal ones - with both parties kind of talking at the same time. We don’t have any trouble following along. So we find it really frustrating when other people need to say Every Darn Word in silence and then we can resume the conversation. Most sentences contain a ton of filler and the meaning is clear from the context. You call us interrupters and we think you’re conversation killers. So the “yeah yeah yeahs” are just.a way of saying “got it”.

I don't have any trouble following along either, but it's incredibly rude. Can you imagine "yeah yeah yeah"-ing if Obama was speaking to you? Of course not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a New Yorker, I had to leave the area to realize that not everyone holds conversations - especially informal ones - with both parties kind of talking at the same time. We don’t have any trouble following along. So we find it really frustrating when other people need to say Every Darn Word in silence and then we can resume the conversation. Most sentences contain a ton of filler and the meaning is clear from the context. You call us interrupters and we think you’re conversation killers. So the “yeah yeah yeahs” are just.a way of saying “got it”.

I don't have any trouble following along either, but it's incredibly rude. Can you imagine "yeah yeah yeah"-ing if Obama was speaking to you? Of course not.

Obama? That’s random.

If we were informally hanging out and he was rambling on I might give him some verbal and nonverbal cues that he should move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a New Yorker, I had to leave the area to realize that not everyone holds conversations - especially informal ones - with both parties kind of talking at the same time. We don’t have any trouble following along. So we find it really frustrating when other people need to say Every Darn Word in silence and then we can resume the conversation. Most sentences contain a ton of filler and the meaning is clear from the context. You call us interrupters and we think you’re conversation killers. So the “yeah yeah yeahs” are just.a way of saying “got it”.

I don't have any trouble following along either, but it's incredibly rude. Can you imagine "yeah yeah yeah"-ing if Obama was speaking to you? Of course not.

Obama? That’s random.

If we were informally hanging out and he was rambling on I might give him some verbal and nonverbal cues that he should move on.

So which is it- do you only do it when someone is rambling on and on? Or is this just a normal, appropriate way to have a polite conversation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a New Yorker, I had to leave the area to realize that not everyone holds conversations - especially informal ones - with both parties kind of talking at the same time. We don’t have any trouble following along. So we find it really frustrating when other people need to say Every Darn Word in silence and then we can resume the conversation. Most sentences contain a ton of filler and the meaning is clear from the context. You call us interrupters and we think you’re conversation killers. So the “yeah yeah yeahs” are just.a way of saying “got it”.

I don't have any trouble following along either, but it's incredibly rude. Can you imagine "yeah yeah yeah"-ing if Obama was speaking to you? Of course not.

Obama? That’s random.

If we were informally hanging out and he was rambling on I might give him some verbal and nonverbal cues that he should move on.

So which is it- do you only do it when someone is rambling on and on? Or is this just a normal, appropriate way to have a polite conversation?

As the article and several people pointed out, for several cultural groups this is a normal conversational style. Not necessarily saying “yeah yeah yeah”, but engaging in dialogue where it seems like “everyone is talking at once”. Somehow I think Barack and Michelle would be just fine in that situation.

[Anonymous]

It's funny I am a New Yorker and I think of yeah yeah yeah as comforting encouragement like yeah- I got it. I feel happy with rapid fire talk and quick give and take. Like on of the PP's, I lived in the pacific northwest I think people initially found me rude or abrupt. I thought they were droning on or slow processors! It's always comforting for me to meet another New Yorker and fall back into those overtaking patterns I grew up with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a New Yorker, I had to leave the area to realize that not everyone holds conversations - especially informal ones - with both parties kind of talking at the same time. We don’t have any trouble following along. So we find it really frustrating when other people need to say Every Darn Word in silence and then we can resume the conversation. Most sentences contain a ton of filler and the meaning is clear from the context. You call us interrupters and we think you’re conversation killers. So the “yeah yeah yeahs” are just.a way of saying “got it”.

I grew up with family like this this and we have zero roots in New York. Roots are all Polish with immigrants arriving as early as 1890 to 1940. My lifelong friend’s family is similar but with Italian roots. We get along fine interacting with each others families because we so used it. We’re from the Midwest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a New Yorker, I had to leave the area to realize that not everyone holds conversations - especially informal ones - with both parties kind of talking at the same time. We don’t have any trouble following along. So we find it really frustrating when other people need to say Every Darn Word in silence and then we can resume the conversation. Most sentences contain a ton of filler and the meaning is clear from the context. You call us interrupters and we think you’re conversation killers. So the “yeah yeah yeahs” are just.a way of saying “got it”.

This is a great explanation for why people say New Yorkers are rude.

It is rude and low class. My father was raised in NY and never interrupted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an all New Yorker behavior. Just those that are interrupters with no patience. They want to keep the conversation moving on their terms.

Sort of this. I'm signaling that I am listening and engaged, but also that I get where you are going with this and want you to keep moving along. I am most likely to do it with people who just keep talking until interrupted, rather than pausing for breath: if I listen silently, they are more likely to meander and overexplain.

You are rude.

DP. It is also rude and boorish to drone on and on just to hear your own voice without giving anyone else an opportunity to participate. It’s a conversation, not a monologue.

No the person just expects you to merge into the conversation without a special invitation. Either you’re actively participating or you aren’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a New Yorker, I had to leave the area to realize that not everyone holds conversations - especially informal ones - with both parties kind of talking at the same time. We don’t have any trouble following along. So we find it really frustrating when other people need to say Every Darn Word in silence and then we can resume the conversation. Most sentences contain a ton of filler and the meaning is clear from the context. You call us interrupters and we think you’re conversation killers. So the “yeah yeah yeahs” are just.a way of saying “got it”.

This is a great explanation for why people say New Yorkers are rude.

It is rude and low class. My father was raised in NY and never interrupted.

You’re either slow or think what you have to say is so important that everyone needs to stop in order to listen to you.

[Anonymous]

People talk way too much because of text and email. Not sure how it works with video chats. I imagine there’s more self control, especially when work zooming. In person, the floodgates gates open. Talk deprived?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People talk way too much because of text and email. Not sure how it works with video chats. I imagine there’s more self control, especially when work zooming. In person, the floodgates gates open. Talk deprived?

I do think "talk deprived" is more of a thing today, but that is a different issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Deborah Tannen offered the term "cooperative overlapper," distinct from interrupting.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/interrupting-or-cooperative-overlapping_l_603e8ae9c5b601179ec0ff4e

00:05 here. This is it exactly. It may also be because so many New Yorkers come from the cultures mentioned in the article. I didn’t meet a whole lot of WASPs growing up.

My family has this. Father was born in northern New Jersey. Causes a lot of problems. Behavior is not acceptable in slow-talking cultures or to my spouse. Possible ethnic connection to Slavic background. But family is part WASP also.

My sister and I talk like this to each other.

[Anonymous]

Can someone post a video that you're talking about?

[Anonymous]

This was an internet "current thing" 2 years ago, based on a book from 25 years ago. It's "Jewbonics".

https://jweekly.com/2000/05/12/interrupters-linguist-says-it-s-jewish-way/

[Anonymous]

Low eq and iq boss