One of my favorite language shifts of the last few years is the construction "yeah, no." I remember back in the day (high school) when people would ask you a negatively-phrased question--"You don't like sauerkraut, do you?"--and wait for you to answer. Answer "yes," and they'd say, "Oh, so you do like sauerkraut?" Answer "no," and you'd get the same response.
Now--
"You don't like sauerkraut, do you?"
"Yeah, no."
"What about Britney? I thought you used to be a big fan."
"Yeah, no."
And everybody knows what you mean.
--If only there were a good solution to the "this week/next week" thing. I HATE it when people try to explain their reasoning behind using one or the other. If it were so simple and clear, why the @#$% does it need to be explained?
