Why do young people always say the word "like"?

Question

Example: like I was at the mall with my friends and like we totally saw this like cute dress that like Hilary Duff would wear, like wasn't that like so cute?

Answer 1

Oh my god, it makes me want to slap them in the back of the head and say, SP SP SPIT IT OUT!!!!

Answer 2

It is part of the nature of young people to come up with idioms and other figures of speech to enhance the language. "Like" is definitely over-used and so is "yeah", "uhhh". It's a "filler" because they can't, don't or won't use other words to describe what they are saying. I tell my students all the time you need a plethora of adjectives to "describe" your nouns and pronouns and you'd be surprised at how quickly your vocabulary would increase. And not only white kids use this phrase - I don't think it has color - it definitely transcends all races, creeds and colors. lol

Answer 3

It's an example of a conversational filler... every language has them (ie. like, um, you know). Young people use them more because they copy their peers who either don't have enough of a mastery of their thoughts in order to have their words flow coherently (without interruption) or because they just haven't taken the time to practice speaking not informally.

Answer 4

I think it's just a common word that became overused (and misused) for some odd reason by a particular person, and others kinda "caught" it on.

Hopefully, other, more grammer-appreciative people will knock the "likes" out of them. :)

Answer 5

the number of times the word "LIKE" is used in a sentence is proportionally equal to the number of brains cell that died because of alcohol use during the childs prenancy. LOL

Answer 6

Really-- like, no kidding. Like, why do they have to talk like that anyway? lol

Just kidding. It IS annoying, but it's better than some other 4-letter words they could be using instead, dontcha think?

Answer 7

I use it sometimes as well, more often in speech than in writing. It's something from my generation I think, so we were immersed in it and I learned to say it without even noticing. Don't worry, in a few more years it will be something else...

Answer 8

to make it a run on sentence, tweens/teens can't avoid that word. preppy girls usually say it. or it's because that have bad grammar, or don't know what to say next. they hang around people who say like all the time and they become used to that form of talking and find themselves saying like all the time.

Answer 9

haha ur impression is funny...but not everyone uses it like that...i just use it so much cuz its such a versatile word...but id never say sumthin bout a cute dress that duff would wear...ew. shes so fugly! lol

but like "****", "like" is a very versatile word. thats why i use them so much.

Answer 10

I like say it sometimes and I'm like a 41 year old man.
They say it because it became a habit. It's also a stalling tactic.

Answer 11

I thought only white kids used that particular slang phrase