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[Crayons]

Like, I use like on GAF all the time, does this like, actually bother you guys? Because like if it does, then like, I'm honestly sorry because I didn't like, know. You know?

 

[Raistlin]

It's like "um"

Yup.


Basically every language has one or more fillers. Like tends to stand out since it's an actual word that loses meaning in this context. Still though, it's not an unusual phenomenon.

 

[marrec]

Yeah it doesn't me in casual conversations. I certainly had to work on eliminating filler words in my speech for interviews and presentations however.

I would agree that everyone should try to limit the use of all discourse markers or filler words in formal conversation.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

Use them, and you just come across as crass.

I wonder what causes this belief.

I'm gonna have fun being crass.

 

[DuffDry]

The best part about this thread is that OP's title is colloquial as all hell.

 

[Crayolan]

The thing that frustrates me the most is when people say things like "Get hype!" or "I'm so excite!" I've even seen "This is so excite!"

I don't see the others much, but even though "get hype" is not grammatically correct, it sounds like it is, which is all that really matters in casual speech.

 

[Bubba T]

It is yet another issue of America's public schools not teaching the basics well enough, or lacking the funding to really drive the point home.

 

[marrec]

It is yet another issue of America's public schools not teaching the basics well enough, or lacking the funding to really drive the point home.

This is bullshit. Discourse markers (and filler words) are present in all languages and at all socio-economic levels.

 

[Aaronrules380]

It is yet another issue of America's public schools not teaching the basics well enough, or lacking the funding to really drive the point home.

Or you know, it's used as filler in casual conversation just like "um" is. This is nothing new and will exist in any language ever, because people lose their train of thought while talking for one reason or another and will use stuff like this while they try to get back on track, or they had a vague idea but aren't quite sure how to articulate it, so they use a filler word to buy time

 

[CrazyDude]

This is bullshit. Discourse markers (and filler words) are present in all languages and at all socio-economic levels.

Pretty much, filler words have always existed and will always exist.

 

[UncleSporky]

I wonder if this could be related to the propensity of english classes to teach kids not to use the word "said." All the stuff about how "said is dead" and you should use words like "exclaimed" or "muttered."

So we find ourselves unwilling to say "then he said this, but then she said this," and instead we say "he was like, 'hey,' and then she was like, 'hey what?'"

 

[Aaronrules380]

Pretty much, filler words have always existed and will always exist.

Yeah, it's a pretty intrinsic part of active, live conversations where you don't have time to process everything before you need to say your next word. A bigger problem is when people don't know how to stop using them in written and typed situations, but this isn't actually that common, and is most common in places like Neogaf where people are largely relying on stream of consciousness to guide their posts and only do a bare minimum of checking to make sure they're communicating effectively

 

[lawnchair]

LANGUAGE EVOLVES! they say

 

[Stanng243]

It ain't a big issue. People just speak different,

 

[Ampersands]

I hate this. It's really obnoxious when you really start to pay attention to how many times a person says like in a conversation, which is a lot if you live in California like me. The worst part is I sometimes slip into the dialect and find myself involuntarily throwing likes between every few words.

 

[Aaronrules380]

I wonder if this could be related to the propensity of english classes to teach kids not to use the word "said." All the stuff about how "said is dead" and you should use words like "exclaimed" or "muttered."

So we find ourselves unwilling to say "then he said this, but then she said this," and instead we say "he was like, 'hey,' and then she was like, 'hey what?'"

In cases like this, it's more a casual way of referring to a more broad spectrum of communication that just the words that were said. For instance, they'll probably imitate the tone and voice of the person they're paraphrasing and maybe use body language to further create spin their narrative.

 

[Phantast2k]

What's worse is when non-native speakers with thick accents try to mimic the American accent through a volley of "likes". Just makes me want to choke them ;(

 

[marrec]

That is, like, the best title change I could of imagine.

 

[UncleSporky]

In cases like this, it's more a casual way of referring to a more broad spectrum of communication that just the words that were said. For instance, they'll probably imitate the tone and voice of the person they're paraphrasing and maybe use body language to further create spin their narrative.

That's true, it's kind of an awesome thing about using "like" in that context. Leads to more fun storytelling for sure.

Shorthand for "And then he said, in the manner in which I am about to demonstrate:"

 

[Crayolan]

Title should have been, like, "What's, like, up with english nowadays?"

 

[Clefargle]

People talking casually among friends are the worst.

Goddamn lol

 

[fancimus]

This is one of my biggest pet peeves as well. Southern California diction is now the norm, and I think it's the prevailing style of speech in the US.

At my job, any speech or meeting is filled with overuse of "like" and "literally", as well as a ton of uptalk, and it's across all sexes and age groups. Colleagues will even write with added "likes" peppered throughout their emails.

I think it contributes to people not paying attention in meetings, and not really listening to each other, but instead, simply waiting for their turn to speak. From my perspective, if someone is using "like" a lot, they are just in a stream of consciousness, and not really thinking about what they want to say first.

Last year, I started to remove the use of "like" in my speech, and it was hard at first, but ultimately quite beneficial.

It's one thing to talk casually outside of a professional environment, but it would be nice to see more people make an effort to speak more formally when the situation warrants. It leads to better listening as well.

 

[Lionel Richie]

 

[drspeedy]

I'll go on record as saying I absolutely despise the use of "like" as a fill word. OP, you have an ally here, "like" has become a blight on the language at best and a useless utterance at worst. It's lazy and proves you as unintelligent - and yes, I know I'm yelling at clouds. #grandpasimpson

There's a reason you don't hear it used often in formal (i.e. broadcast) and written American english: the word is not punctuation. And when we DO hear "like" (almost always) overused in day to day conversations it automatically implies a lower level of intelligence. Try using "in the same manner as" when you find yourself saying "like", then we'll talk. Your use of language communicates more than just what is said, and don't presume that everyone you speak with will find your mastery of modern pop speak endearing.

Would I like to see it used less? To quote the great Mitch Hedberg, "all encompassingly!"

 

[marrec]

People who brag about having removed discourse markers from their everyday speech strike me as having an overestimation of their own intelligence and of the importance of their style of speech.

Prescriptivists can get rekt.

 

[toastyToast]

It's a filler word, they exist in most languages.

This

There's also a, "you know what I'm saying?" in a bunch of languages too. People need to learn to stop pretending to be perfect linguists when all they're really trying to do is shit on people.

 

[Harothewanderer]

Kids these days.

 

[Aaronrules380]

I'll go on record as saying I absolutely despise the use of "like" as a fill word. OP, you have an ally here, "like" has become a blight on the language at best and a useless utterance at worst. It's lazy and proves you as unintelligent - and yes, I know I'm yelling at clouds. #grandpasimpson

There's a reason you don't hear it used often in formal (i.e. broadcast) and written American english: the word is not punctuation. And when we DO hear "like" (almost always) overused in day to day conversations it automatically implies a lower level of intelligence. Try using "in the same manner as" when you find yourself saying "like", then we'll talk. Your use of language communicates more than just what is said, and don't presume that everyone you speak with will find your mastery of modern pop speak endearing.

Would I like to see it used less? To quote the great Mitch Hedberg, "all encompassingly!"

That would make you look more awkward than intelligent. Using a ton of words to express what could be said in a single word with no lost meaning is actually worse, especially if we're talking about casual conversation

 

[Retro]

Well, you could see that thread title change coming, like, a mile away.

 

[marrec]

This

There's also a, "you know what I'm saying?" in a bunch of languages too. People need to learn to stop pretending to be perfect linguists when all they're really trying to do is shit on people.

Most modern linguists despise the prescriptivism that the OP describes.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I'll go on record as saying I absolutely despise the use of "like" as a fill word. OP, you have an ally here, "like" has become a blight on the language at best and a useless utterance at worst. It's lazy and proves you as unintelligent - and yes, I know I'm yelling at clouds. #grandpasimpson

There's a reason you don't hear it used often in formal (i.e. broadcast) and written American english: the word is not punctuation. And when we DO hear "like" (almost always) overused in day to day conversations it automatically implies a lower level of intelligence. Try using "in the same manner as" when you find yourself saying "like", then we'll talk. Your use of language communicates more than just what is said, and don't presume that everyone you speak with will find your mastery of modern pop speak endearing.

Would I like to see it used less? To quote the great Mitch Hedberg, "all encompassingly!"

You assume intelligence based on the use of a single word?
Prescriptivism is silly.

 

[UncleSporky]

That would make you look more awkward than intelligent. Using a ton of words to express what could be said in a single word with no lost meaning is actually worse, especially if we're talking about casual conversation

I think he's saying that people should mentally replace their use of the word with its full definition in order to make it sound ridiculous to them. Which could honestly be done with any word at all.

 

[Omie]

Valley girl talk. This video from 1982 taps into it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHf089jl9H4

 

[Deleted member 17706]

FTFY.

Plenty of non-Americans use it and similar filler words all the time, too.

 

[MilkBeard]

I'll go on record as saying I absolutely despise the use of "like" as a fill word. OP, you have an ally here, "like" has become a blight on the language at best and a useless utterance at worst. It's lazy and proves you as unintelligent - and yes, I know I'm yelling at clouds. #grandpasimpson

And when we DO hear "like" (almost always) overused in day to day conversations it automatically implies a lower level of intelligence.

Hey buddy, didn't anyone tell you that to 'assume' is to make an ass out of u & me? Kthnxbye, like, lol.

 

[Aaronrules380]

I think he's saying that people should mentally replace their use of the word with its full definition in order to make it sound ridiculous to them. Which could honestly be done with any word at all.

I mean, that's doesn't change what I'm saying at all. Only an idiot thinks using 10 words to say the same thing that could be said with 1 is a smart and reasonable thing. There's a reason we make so many words with only slightly different meanings and connotations. It's because effective communication should be quick and to the point, and not put the other person to sleep

 

[EsotericManiac]

I used to count how many times this one girl in 11th grade said "like" in a class period.

that was what? 16 years ago?

yup, it's the same

 

[starchild excalibur]

It's a filler word, they exist in most languages.

Exactly. It didn't start with millennials. Like, "um," words like these exist to show that you're still formulating your thought instead of you having awkward silences every few seconds and people jumping in mid-conversation.

Some may do it more than others but pretty much everyone does it to some degree.

 

[Santiako]

It's why I stopped listening to the 8-4 podcast, they say like about 50 times a minute, it drove me crazy once I noticed.

 

[EsotericManiac]

scientists have proven that "like" is far superior in place of filler words like "um" and "ah" based on brain activity

when the word "like" is used they can tell your brain is making a comparison

with "um" and "ah" it's literally a brain fart

 

[oti]

It's why I stopped listening to the 8-4 podcast, they say like about 50 times a minute, it drove me crazy once I noticed.

:O
Don't ruin this for me!

 

[drspeedy]

You assume intelligence based on the use of a single word?
Prescriptivism is silly.

Through the hyper-misuse of a word? Yes. People who pause or insert fill words too often in speech are presumed disfluent or unintelligent. That's my opinion, and human nature to boot.

Prescriptivism it is not.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Through the hyper-misuse of a word? Yes. People who pause or insert fill words too often in speech are presumed disfluent or unintelligent. That's my opinion, and human nature to presume.

Prescriptivism it is not.

Yet your solution is to make yourself sound incredibly stiff and socially awkward by replacing "like" with a dictionary definition

 

[fancimus]

That would make you look more awkward than intelligent. Using a ton of words to express what could be said in a single word with no lost meaning is actually worse, especially if we're talking about casual conversation

I think it makes you slow down and think more about what you want to say, because instead of inserting "like" into those natural pauses, you are instead silent, considering your next words. And, for me at least, it helps a ton with listening to others.

I don't mind it in social situations...it's in the workplace where I find it bothersome and counterproductive.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

Through the hyper-misuse of a word? Yes. People who pause or insert fill words too often in speech are presumed disfluent or unintelligent. That's my opinion, and human nature to presume.

Prescriptivism it is not.

How can a word be misused if it's so commonplace and everybody understands exactly what is meant?

Grammar isn't even real. We made it up.
Have fun feeling superior to 99% of the world I guess?

 

[jelly]

Can't stand it. The conversation with someone who does it is grating beyond belief.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Man, you people are like, quite petty.

 

[Jobbs]

OP

Language is a living organism. What's "correct" and what things mean is extremely, extremely fluid. As long as we understand eachother, though, it's all good!

If the way people feel comfortable communicating bothers you, I would posit that you have a pretty amazing life.

 

[drspeedy]

Yet your solution is to make yourself sound incredibly stiff and socially awkward by replacing "like" with a dictionary definition

Well... no. Thats ridiculous.

I'm saying to self regulate speech with a mental check. Like how we use mnemonics to aid memory or recall abilities.



Dandy... You're taking this too seriously, mate.

 

[Peterthumpa]

I'll go on record as saying I absolutely despise the use of "like" as a fill word. OP, you have an ally here, "like" has become a blight on the language at best and a useless utterance at worst. It's lazy and proves you as unintelligent - and yes, I know I'm yelling at clouds. #grandpasimpson

There's a reason you don't hear it used often in formal (i.e. broadcast) and written American english: the word is not punctuation. And when we DO hear "like" (almost always) overused in day to day conversations it automatically implies a lower level of intelligence. Try using "in the same manner as" when you find yourself saying "like", then we'll talk. Your use of language communicates more than just what is said, and don't presume that everyone you speak with will find your mastery of modern pop speak endearing.

Would I like to see it used less? To quote the great Mitch Hedberg, "all encompassingly!"

This was exactly my impression as well, although living overseas wasn't helping it. Now that I'm actually in North America, my question is like, legit.

But I do agree that we shouldn't quantify a lack of perceived intelligence in someone's speech based on their use of a filler word.