formality - Meaning of "No, yes ..."

I'm not sure if this is something only Americans say, but it has confused me for a long time. If someone is asked a question why do some people respond with something like, "No, yes it was"? What does "no" at the beginning mean? It seems like a contradiction.

For example:

I'm not sure if I answered your question or not.
No, yeah, that makes more sense, now!

Answer

If you state a negative, and I disagree, I may start with "No" to contradict your statement, and then state the positive.

This is related to our general contrariness and bad manners.

Comments

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