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Literary notes about yeah (AI summary)

In literature, "yeah" functions as a dynamic marker of informal speech, capturing everything from enthusiastic affirmation to skeptical hesitation. Writers use it to create realistic dialogue, as when a character casually confirms a point—"Yeah, Pop, I was one of the button-pushers" [1]—or to inject subtle irony in responses like the measured "Yeah, that's right," which can hint at resignation or uncertainty [2]. At the same time, its use in challenge or inquiry, for example, the terse "Oh, yeah?" [3], shows how a simple term can evoke complex character emotion and nuance. Whether employed in light-hearted banter, regional dialects, or even to punctuate dramatic exchanges as in the emphatic "Yeah!" [4], the word consistently serves as a versatile tool for conveying authenticity, immediacy, and varied tonal inflections in narrative dialogue.
  1. I went on, "Yeah, Pop, I was one of the button-pushers.
    — from The Night of the Long Knives by Fritz Leiber
  2. "Yeah, that's right," I said, brightening a little.
    — from The Night of the Long Knives by Fritz Leiber
  3. The stranger let go of his shoulder and snarled, "Oh, yeah?"
    — from The Marching Morons by C. M. Kornbluth
  4. "Yeah!" said Barlow, yanking his jacket back into shape.
    — from The Marching Morons by C. M. Kornbluth

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