The misuse of the word "like"

[musicianmom]

Do you use "like" as a substitute for "said" or "thought" or "felt"? Do you allow your kids to do so?

 

I admit I let it slip sometimes in casual social situations, but I try not to do it. I have drilled it into my kids' heads not to say it. Dd8 complies, but dd6 is determined to say it. She told me that she'll just say it when I'm not around to correct her.

 

It doesn't help that practically everyone we know does this. In fact, I think the kids have picked it up from teachers at preschool, tutorial, and even Sunday School!

 

What says the Hive? Is this a problem where you live?

[texasmama]

I do, but I talk pretty goofy.  :)  I say dude a lot, too cuz I'm cool like that.  ;)  I don't expect my kids to talk more sophisticated than I do.

[NoseInABook]

I do it all of the time without thinking about it. My kids do as well.

[Tammi K]

It's annoying and I personally do it far more than I like so it's hard  to fuss with the kids about it. Sometimes in a particularly egregious sentence, I will request a repeat with less than 2 or three likes.  The kids usually just giggle and roll their eyes but they'll do it. They usually end up laughing because it might take 2 or 3 tries before they can do it. 

[mlbuchina]

I do use it, and my kids use it, but not profusely.  If the kids say it more than once in one sentence, or begin to say it after almost every word (like *grin*, when they've been around their cousin who uses it ad nauseam), I will tell them they have used all their allotted "likes" for the day.   :D

[musicianmom]

Okay, so this is something else that makes me weird?

 

Does it bother you when a professional person (teacher, doctor, preacher, lawyer) uses it? Or a public figure such as a politician?

[ksr5377]

I do but hate it.  At times I get much better about it.  However, it seems that everyone around me also talks this way, which makes it hard to not pick back up.

[SproutMamaK]

I do it without even realizing it. It's a bad habit, but it's so prevalent in culture that it worked its way into my vernacular without my even realizing it.

[Julie Smith]

It would bother me.

 

I personally don't hear anyone talking in that fashion, but I know if I did I would catch it quickly. :$

 

Whenever I want my boys to start talking in a particulary way, I just make sure they hear that particulary way of talking very often. (Audio books are great for this)

 

 

[Belacqua]

So, do we mean, "And she's, like, I know, right? And I'm all, Dude, put your pants on!"

 

Or, "And he was, like, wearing his pants all weird? And it was, like, really awkward?"

 

Personally, I'd prefer either of those to the vocal fry. That makes me want to do harm, regardless of the words used.

[fdrinca]

I use it, too often. I blame working with so many college kids. I'm the kind of person who picks up an accent no matter where I go. 

 

I have to confess I find it funny when my kids (6, 5, and 3) use the word "like" in an inappropriate sense. It makes them seem more human, if that makes sense. They have such an insular way of speaking, and have very little media/popular vernacular exposure, that it becomes one of their few slang words. 

 

Now, if they start into Lisa Simpsons "it's like, you know, whatever" territory, we might have to enter vocal boot camp.

[Miss Peregrine]

SoCal native and a child of the 80's so yeah, guilty.

[Dandelion]

So, do we mean, "And she's, like, I know, right? And I'm all, Dude, put your pants on!"

 

Or, "And he was, like, wearing his pants all weird? And it was, like, really awkward?"

 

 

 

That's what I'm wondering.

 

Like, which is it?   :D

 

They both bother me, and I don't do either.  I attribute that to spending so many years leading meetings and workshops, and constant public speaking.  I became ultra-aware of "verbal fillers" and pretty much eliminated any fillers from my speech.  And yes, it's rampant here as well. 

 

[Farrar]

I do it occasionally.  Like any word choice, it can get annoying when its overused.  Anyone doing a Valley Girl imitation is just going to sound weird, but I don't blame the word and using it as a spacer word instead of "um" is different to me from using it to mean thought or said.  It doesn't phase me to hear it from people in any walk of life.  I wouldn't put it in a formal paper, but the way we use spoken language is always changing.  I just accept that this is a change that happened to the word like.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't know of any adults who use it in normal or professional speech.  I do use it on occasion with a Valley girl accent just to annoy my kids but I doubt that is what you're talking about!  

[Guest submarines]

Okay, so this is something else that makes me weird?

 

Does it bother you when a professional person (teacher, doctor, preacher, lawyer) uses it? Or a public figure such as a politician?

 

Depends on the context. I think it would bother me, but I haven't heard a professional person use it.

[Guest submarines]

I don't know of any adults who use it in normal or professional speech.  I do use it on occasion with a Valley girl accent just to annoy my kids but I doubt that is what you're talking about!  

 

Me neither. I sometimes use it for effect or for fun, but not in my normal everyday speech.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Depends on the context. I think it would bother me, but I haven't heard a professional person use it.

Plus, it has never been an issue for either of my kids unless they are playing around and being silly.  

[ElizabethB]

Well, it's proving harder to Google than I thought, but I once saw a funny parody of overuse of the word like that used the word like in several different ways in several different sentences.  The last sentence had like at least 5 instances of the word like.

 

I also once saw the same thing done with a certain four letter word beginning with f, it was actually very funny, but I won't even try to Google that and don't really care to read it again although it was funny. 

[Pawz4me]

We have our issues here, but thankfully overusing "like" isn't one of them.

[kroe1]

We make a bold effort not to use it. I also will not allow other kiddos riding in my carpool to use it. We call it the "L" word and treat it as any other four letter word. LOL. There is a Christian DJ out of Tampa/St. Pete who uses it such that I will not listen to the radio station anymore.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I have never had the "valley girl" accent- like after every word, but I do use "he was like.../she was all..." in place of "he said" when I'm talking to old high school friends.  I can turn it on and off very easily, and I slip right into it whenever I am in California, but would never dream of using it where I live abroad, since most people I'm talking to are English language learners.  I don't think my kids will pick it up, but if they did, I wouldn't mind, unless they were unable to express themselves without the extra or misused "likes."

[Alessandra]

I will link later, but there is a great article by Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair, called 'The Other L-Word.'

 

Btw, I found it when I was googling the Caroline Kennedy speech in which she used 'you know' hundreds of times. Hearing someone overuse a word makes me super self conscious about my own speech. Works for mispronunciation too. Dd and I cured ourselves of saying 'gonna' instead of 'going to' by watching a few Paula Deen shows.

[DragonFaerie]

I don't do it, and my kids don't do it (or at least not such that I've noticed).  When I was a teenager in the 80s, I had the bad habit of saying "like" all the time.  My mom eventually told me that I was not "allowed" to use that word, and if I said it, she would stop me and make me rephrase.  It actually helped me break the habit.  Now, I'm a transcriptionist and the company I work for has in their guidelines that we are to ignore (meaning don't type) uses of the word "like" as a "verbal filler."  We are to type it when it's used intentionally, of course, but not when it's used as filler.  That said, when someone uses it in place of the word "said," I type it as intentional. 

[Word Nerd]

My kids do use like a lot, including as a substitute for said.

 

This thread reminds me of this:

 

 

 

[fairfarmhand]

I try not to say it and it drives me bonkers when my kids do it.

[texasmama]

Dude...like that's way cool.

 

:lol:

Like, I am the coolest.  ;)

 

It is part of my self-deprecating humor, kind of my schtick.  People would need to see it in person to "get it", I think.  (Cuz I'm super cool and awesome like that.  :D)  I slip into it when I'm being funny, which is pretty often.  People who don't appreciate silliness or humor AT ALL might be annoyed, but what fun are they, anyway?  :D

[Heather in Neverland]

I don't use it all.

 

However, I have a terrible habit of starting my sentences with "So..."

 

I hate it but I can't seem to stop.

[musicianmom]

I am definitely not talking about people using it on purpose to be funny. I am talking about people who say it as naturally as breathing. The words "said," "thought," "felt," "wondered" have all been devoured by the all-encompassing "I was like."

 

Sunday School lesson: David was like, "I'll fight the giant!" And King Saul was like, "You can't do that! You're just a kid."

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

DD uses it a lot, and for a time I called her out on it, but then decided there were more important issues in the world, so, like, no big deal.  I found myself sounding a bit too 1950's, yelling at all those ruffians to get off my lawn with their crazy rock and roll and evil, swiveling hips and whatnot.

[texasmama]

I am definitely not talking about people using it on purpose to be funny. I am talking about people who say it as naturally as breathing. The words "said," "thought," "felt," "wondered" have all been devoured by the all-encompassing "I was like."

 

Sunday School lesson: David was like, "I'll fight the giant!" And King Saul was like, "You can't do that! You're just a kid."

I can totally dig this, dude.  ;)

 

Seriously, I understand and do not typically use like as a part of my everyday speech unless I am being funny.  Cuz using words such as "like" and "dude", well, now that's just FUN-NAY!

 

One of the cleverest commercials out now is the one with James Earl Jones and some other old dude doing a parody of text speech.  I don't even know what it is advertising, but it is awesome.  :D

 

(Okay, that made me look... found it!) 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRibRj770J8

[musicianmom]

I told dd8 that it's a difficult habit to break, and someday when she runs for public office, she would make a really bad impression if she used it in her speeches and interviews, so don't start now. She doesn't have political ambitions, but could see the point of being prepared.

[bolt.]

I always thought (aside from being a filler word) that it actually had a role in language. In place of "said" or "thought" -- I interpret it to mean, "the following is only an approximation of what the person really said" or "this is what it think they were thinking, but, of course, I wouldn't know what they were really thinking"... Or even, "I'm about to use a hyperbole or other illustration for dramatic effect, just so you know." -- So I see it used linguistically as a signal of similarity-with-inaccuracy. The thing that is being said is only similar-to what really happened, it's "like" what really happened, but not exactly what really happened.

 

As a person who is naturally precise, I like "like" in that role. If relieves me (as speaker or listener) from the burden of needing to use exact quotes and concrete accuracy in order to be 'telling the truth' (or accepting what was said as 'the truth').

 

If, "She was wearing, like, this bright blue sweater with a gold reindeer on it!" -- I can deal with that being said even if I know the sweater was actually navy, but, yeah, it was a loud sweater. I can do "bright" is "like" the general impression of that sweater, even though it is not an accurate discriptions.

 

This convention allows people to simplify and accentuate their story telling (to focus their listener's attention and insert their own interpretations) -- which is great. Because factually accurate stories can be long, boring and pointless.

 

So, yeah, I hear it -- but I've never considered it a problem, except when it's crazily repetitive.

 

ETA: for example, I think it's absolutely the right verb to use when you are dramatizing and colloquializing Bible stories. There *should* be a linguistic marker that says, "These are not the actual words that were said. Consult your Buble for accuracy. What you are getting here is dramatic approximation." -- Anybody who says that David/Saul "said" quotes that the narrator is making up on the spot offends my sense if precision, which is particularly sensitive around issues like Bible stories.

[DragonFaerie]

I can totally dig this, dude.  ;)

 

Seriously, I understand and do not typically use like as a part of my everyday speech unless I am being funny.  Cuz using words such as "like" and "dude", well, now that's just FUN-NAY!

 

One of the cleverest commercials out now is the one with James Earl Jones and some other old dude doing a parody of text speech.  I don't even know what it is advertising, but it is awesome.  :D

 

(Okay, that made me look... found it!) 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRibRj770J8

 

I love those commercials!  Too funny!

[Mom2TheTeam]

I always thought (aside from being a filler word) that it actually had a role in language. In place of "said" or "thought" -- I interpret it to mean, "the following is only an approximation of what the person really said" or "this is what it think they were thinking, but, of course, I wouldn't know what they were really thinking"... Or even, "I'm about to use a hyperbole or other illustration for dramatic effect, just so you know." -- So I see it used linguistically as a signal of similarity-with-inaccuracy. The thing that is being said is only similar-to what really happened, it's "like" what really happened, but not exactly what really happened.

 

As a person who is naturally precise, I like "like" in that role. If relieves me (as speaker or listener) from the burden of needing to use exact quotes and concrete accuracy in order to be 'telling the truth' (or accepting what was said as 'the truth').

 

If, "She was wearing, like, this bright blue sweater with a gold reindeer on it!" -- I can deal with that being said even if I know the sweater was actually navy, but, yeah, it was a loud sweater. I can do "bright" is "like" the general impression of that sweater, even though it is not an accurate discriptions.

 

This convention allows people to simplify and accentuate their story telling (to focus their listener's attention and insert their own interpretations) -- which is great. Because factually accurate stories can be long, boring and pointless.

 

So, yeah, I hear it -- but I've never considered it a problem, except when it's crazily repetitive.

 

ETA: for example, I think it's absolutely the right verb to use when you are dramatizing and colloquializing Bible stories. There *should* be a linguistic marker that says, "These are not the actual words that were said. Consult your Buble for accuracy. What you are getting here is dramatic approximation." -- Anybody who says that David/Saul "said" quotes that the narrator is making up on the spot offends my sense if precision, which is particularly sensitive around issues like Bible stories.

 

Unless it is overused, this is exactly how I think of it.  :)

 

I do use it, but I don't think I overuse it.  Now, I'll be super aware of it and I'll hear it every time I say it. 

 

I've discovered things in my speech because I hear my kids saying them and wonder where they learned to pronounce a word that way.  Then, I catch myself saying it.  Oops!  It's helping me correct some bad habits I didn't even know I had.  LOL!

 

[MerryAtHope]

This reminds me of when I was in high school and we had to memorize the first 16 lines of the Canterbury Tales. I told my teacher I could recite it Valley Girl style...The droghte of March hath like totally perced to the roote...

 

At 6 & 8, I might correct in certain situations, but wouldn't expect perfection. I'd make it something casual and fun but not a big deal to work on. (And if your 6 yo has the self control to only use "like" when you aren't listening--I think that's a good sign she can speak without it when she needs to!)

 

I find things such as "I know, right?" taking over the vernacular more here.

 

Given the subject, what does it mean if I "like" this conversation?!

 

I was like, like, you know?

 

 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

DD uses it a lot, and for a time I called her out on it, but then decided there were more important issues in the world, so, like, no big deal.  I found myself sounding a bit too 1950's, yelling at all those ruffians to get off my lawn with their crazy rock and roll and evil, swiveling hips and whatnot.

 

:lol:

 

I always thought (aside from being a filler word) that it actually had a role in language. In place of "said" or "thought" -- I interpret it to mean, "the following is only an approximation of what the person really said" or "this is what it think they were thinking, but, of course, I wouldn't know what they were really thinking"... Or even, "I'm about to use a hyperbole or other illustration for dramatic effect, just so you know." -- So I see it used linguistically as a signal of similarity-with-inaccuracy. The thing that is being said is only similar-to what really happened, it's "like" what really happened, but not exactly what really happened.

 

As a person who is naturally precise, I like "like" in that role. If relieves me (as speaker or listener) from the burden of needing to use exact quotes and concrete accuracy in order to be 'telling the truth' (or accepting what was said as 'the truth').

 

If, "She was wearing, like, this bright blue sweater with a gold reindeer on it!" -- I can deal with that being said even if I know the sweater was actually navy, but, yeah, it was a loud sweater. I can do "bright" is "like" the general impression of that sweater, even though it is not an accurate discriptions.

 

This convention allows people to simplify and accentuate their story telling (to focus their listener's attention and insert their own interpretations) -- which is great. Because factually accurate stories can be long, boring and pointless.

 

So, yeah, I hear it -- but I've never considered it a problem, except when it's crazily repetitive.

 

ETA: for example, I think it's absolutely the right verb to use when you are dramatizing and colloquializing Bible stories. There *should* be a linguistic marker that says, "These are not the actual words that were said. Consult your Buble for accuracy. What you are getting here is dramatic approximation." -- Anybody who says that David/Saul "said" quotes that the narrator is making up on the spot offends my sense if precision, which is particularly sensitive around issues like Bible stories.

 

I was going to post pretty much exactly the same thing. So instead I'll just say  :iagree: .

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

ETA: for example, I think it's absolutely the right verb to use when you are dramatizing and colloquializing Bible stories. There *should* be a linguistic marker that says, "These are not the actual words that were said. Consult your Buble for accuracy. What you are getting here is dramatic approximation." -- Anybody who says that David/Saul "said" quotes that the narrator is making up on the spot offends my sense if precision, which is particularly sensitive around issues like Bible stories.

 

Also, I was not aware that he was the go-to guy for that kind of thing. He's really multi-talented!

[bolt.]

Ha!

 

Got me!

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Ha!

 

Got me!

 

:lol:  :tongue_smilie: It wouldn't have struck me so humorously, except that for some reason, his name make me giggle. I really do not know why!

[mytwomonkeys]

I'm sure I've done it, but if it's frequent I'm oblivious to it.

 

My daughter does it a lot. She also loves to say, "I know, right?". It cracks me up. She will be sharing a story with me... "And so then she was like... And he was like... And I was like.... I know, right?"