One day Hannah was talking and I realized she was using the word "like" every five seconds. I told her to stop because I didn't like the way it sounded.....then I realized someone else was using the word "like" excessively. ME! Ugh! Then I noticed most everyone my age or younger uses the word "like" all the time. Recently I was listening to an interview with Justin Bieber on the radio at the commissary (I can't choose the station there) and he was saying "you know" every five seconds. It was so irritating! But I am doing the same thing, just with another word.
When I have asked the kids to try and stop saying "like", they usually turn to "you know". And Spencer told me the other day that the word "the" is the most used word in our language and I told him it was not. It is LIKE! And sure enough, he said it right away without even noticing. Then I listened to Junior talk last night for a couple of minutes and counted 11 "likes". What is going on!!??? Is this really from the "valley girl" talk of the 80s? What have we done? How weird it must be for foreigners trying to learn English and to discover they need to pepper their conversations with the word "like". I looked on the internet for help and of course there is a wikihow page for it. Most people may not have any issue with this but it is driving me crazy-- I cannot stop!!
Here are a few tips from the wikihow page:
*Ask friends, family, and co-workers to let you know whenever you use the word "like" incorrectly. For more encouragement, have them make you put some money in a jar (a quarter, a dollar) every time you say "like". (I don't have enough money to do this)
*Attend a local Toastmasters meeting where someone will count the number of times you use "like" as well as "um" or "ah", for you. (It's free for guests). (maybe humiliating myself in public is the way to go)
*If you're trying to learn how to sound like a native English speaker, doing the opposite of these instructions might help, but only in informal situations. Using "like" excessively in the workplace can make you seem unprofessional. This also applies to the word "actually".
*Fillers (such as "like") will often appear in one's speaking when the pace is quick, as speaking gets ahead of the train of thought. Practice determining a pace that minimizes the occurrence of these fillers. (This one is so true--my tongue is always way behind my brain--and it is hard sometimes to remember where my tongue is in my train of thought and so the word "like" has absolutely become that "thinking" pause)
And yes, this is what is on my mind this Saturday evening. :-)
3 comments:
LOL! I am definitely going to watch myself and see if I say "like" a bunch. I guaranty I do! like for sure:)
LOL, i vote for having people point it out everytime you do it. should nix it, like, quick. haha, that one was just for you, lol!
This is the funniest post ever! When I was a young teenager, I remember my cousins coming to visit from Washington State and they said "like" all the time and I thought they must just live in a cooler place than rural Idaho and that was what the "big city kids" said. Now, I have noticed myself using the word "like" a lot too. I also use "so" and "well". I do think it's the tongue not keeping up with the brain for me too! I complain about people peppering their language with cuss words and taking forever to get to the point. I guess this is a similar problem and can be just as annoying. :) I love the unique things you blog about. It always brings a smile to my face.
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