Talk:The Yada Yada

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Phong says it here, Predating the Seinfeld episode. BrainRotMenacer 20:07, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

Yada probably corresponds to the Norwegian "jada", which basically means "yes, straight away". I find it likely that the term "yada yada" entered the American language as Scandinavian immigrants found their way to the US during the 19th century. As with the Irish, many of them started working at the bottom, for instance as maids. Many of them spoke poor English and were slow to learn the language. The likely reply of "jada jada" as a response to a command by an employer and with nothing else to say that was intelligible seems like a typical and irritating situation that would propel the term as something akin to "all that jazz". Steingrim 21:19, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

Don't overanalyze this. First off, the expression is "yadee,yadee,yada" and it comes originally from a Lenny Bruce routine called "Father Flotski's Triumph" about a priest in a prison who's relentlessly albeit unsuccessfully trying to convine a con not to do something or to confess or something. Finally, exasperately, the convict says to the priest- "Yadee,Yadee,Yada Father" in other words Blah, Blah, Blah Father. That's all it was. No enlighted hidden linguisitic meaning- it's just Lenny.Dcrasno (talk) 02:50, 6 May 2009 (UTC)69.126.99.152 (talk) 02:48, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

The expression "yada, yada, yada, yada" was used by Robin Williams in a way similar to Seinfeld at the 4:44 mark of "It's a Wonderful Mork," which on 3 May 1979 was the 23rd episode of ABC's Top 2 hit "Mork & Mindy." - It's a Wonderful Mork. I don't know whether this was the first use in this way, but it may explain why the expression was already popular by 1980 - Yada Yada. -- Glenn L (talk) 00:18, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

The Straight Dope?

The idea that yadayada came from the song, "yackety-yack" is as flimsy as its reference. "The Straight Dope" is not an encyclopaedic reference, it is a frivolous entertainment column which frequently publishes totally contrived or totally inaccurate explanations for scientific phenomenon and obscure English phrases. To think that this phrase, which is hardly even similar to the song, and which became popular 50 years later, is related in any way is absurd.

A much more probable origin is the increase in Japanese tourism during Japan's economic boom. At about that time Japanese girls began to overuse the term "yada! yada!" in their speech. (It is an exclamation that means "Yuck, no way" [literally, "I don't like it"].) And therefore to the American ear, yadayada easily comes to equate any incomprehensible or superfluous chatter.

--APDEF (talk) 11:54, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Yata-ta yata-ta precursor

"Yata-ta, yata-ta," or "yatta ta yatta ta yatta," or "yattata yattata" is a percursor to "yadda yadda," dating from the late 1940s and early 1950s. Here are some uses:

• Screenland (Nov 1945-Oct 1946), page 80: "I'm getting psychopathic," Craig says. "Fanno calls up and says she wants to see a movie. I relay the message to Alexis. Then I have to referee while the two of them fight about what picture and what time and what they'll wear. I'm always the middleman. It's a twenty-four hour yatta-ta yatta-ta." https://archive.org/details/screenland501unse/page/n85

• April 1948 Scream Comics #19, page 42; a character says dismissively, "Yatatayata! Dat's all we get from Ernie! Talk! Talk! Talk!" https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=66201

• 1951, Baseball confidential; secret history of the war among Chandler, Durocher, MacPhail, and Rickey by Arthur William Mann, page 40: "Many dollars and man-hours had been spent by the police in listening, but the effort had failed to reveal anything beyond the yata-ta yata-ta so characteristic of a Durocher conversation or argument." https://archive.org/details/baseballconfiden00mann/page/40

• 1952, the novel A Candle for a Star by Zoe Lund Schiller, page 190: The checking stand was so balled up in an hour or so. The ladies didn't care but we did. Yatta ta yatta ta yat:" https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3347046;view=1up;seq=202

• 1954, short story "Murder on the Waterfront" by Budd Schulberg, published in Collier's Oct. 1, 1954: "Back across the street in the Long- dock, Matt sat with a beer in front of him, automatically watching the morning television: some good-looking, fast-talking dame selling something — yatta-ta yatta-ta yatta-ta." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 149.168.27.243 (talk) 16:07, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

• 2007: Yada, yada, do'h! : 111 television words that made the leap from screen to society by Mark Peters, page 143: "There are also some precursors from the forties and fifties, such as yattata-yattata and yaddega-yaddega." https://archive.org/details/yadayadadoh111te0000pete/page/142

Section header, "Yada yada" or "Yada yada yada"

In 2009 the triple yada was named by the Paley Center as its number one funniest TV phrase, which seems enough of a reputable source and important topic use to justify adding the third yada to the section head. I'd added it to the section head and text and was reverted per the episode's title and the fact that both forms are used in the show. Arguably the Paley Center honoring should elevate the triple-yada to primary for this section. Randy Kryn (talk) 13:25, 18 October 2022 (UTC)

Honestly, I guess I can go either way here, but I'd still lean towards the double use of it. Feel free to change it back if no one else joins the discussion any time soon. Jauerback^dude?/_dude. 13:20, 19 October 2022 (UTC)

Thanks. Will wait for a couple or few more days. The double use has quite a few uses in the article now, so maybe the Paley Center honor helps to create the rarer but per Seinfeld triple-yada. Randy Kryn (talk) 13:35, 19 October 2022 (UTC)

Late to the party, but for what it's worth I feel the same as Jauerback: I lean towards the double use, but could go either way. The way you've edited the section in question is fine with me. Martin IIIa (talk) 00:59, 13 January 2023 (UTC)