Why do many young Americans say "like" so much?

Question

I mean this kind of thing:

"It was, like, seven o'clock, so I'm like, do you wanna, like, catch a movie, and he's like, are you kidding, it's, like, raining, didn't you, like, notice or anything, so we're, like, just sitting in this, like, bar, like, doing nothing, you know, like we're zombies or something, then suddenly he's like, I know, you wanna, like, get some, like dinner, like I know this neat, like, Italian place, like just round the corner? etc. etc.

What is "like" supposed to add in all these cases? Does it mean anything at all? And to make it even more bizarre, almost every statement is delivered as though it were a question.

I live in a city where we have lots of young American students or tourists, and they are more than welcome, but this trick of speech really grates on the ear. You can say: "Don't listen to it then", but they usually have very loud voices too so it's, like, you know, like hard to ignore. Where did this all start?

Answer 1

It's just a discourse marker. Other ones include "well" "ok" and "anyway." Also sometimes phrases are used, for example, "you know," "you know what I'm saying" and (the one that makes me cringe the most) "or whatever." Every language has them and almost everyone uses them to some extent, even if it's only once in a while. You sound a bit like a robot if you don't. I'll agree, though, that like has grown entirely out of hand. Perhaps because it's somewhat of a catch all. It can act as a preposition, conjunction, an adverb, an adjective, a verb, and even a substitute for "say," "said," and "that." You can be "like so hungry" you can also be "soooo like hungry" and you can recount how hungry someone else was: "I saw Brad and he was like, 'I'm so hungry.'"

Why do young Americans say it so much? Not sure. Maybe like because sometimes it's like hard to say what you want to say and stuff, or whatever. Know what I'm saying?

Answer 2

Because it is the "valley girl" thing that has picked up over the years. It was started in the Silicon Valley, where most people are rich. Thus people think, "If I act like a rich person, and talk like that, people will think I am rich too, and I will be loved by America's materialistic culture!" Though I give tham too much credit, seeing as most Americans do not know the meaning of the word "materialistic"...
Anyway, hope this helped!

Answer 3

I hate it when people use the word "like" as a meaningless filler or "was like" as a euphemism for "said". In the first case, you either are something or compare to something, and it's only when people are making the comparison that they should use "like" in that way. In the second case, what someone says, which is heard as sound, can't be manifested in physical form, and so a person can't really be said to physically compare to what he said. He might physically compare to whatever *description* might be given in that utterance, but not to the utterance itself.

I fear the day might come three or four decades down the road when English teachers present to their students poetry and prose containing similes such as "Time is like an iron door" and the students misparse it to mean "Time IS an iron door" because they've been using "like" in the wrong contexts for so long. In a situation like that, they're likely to be confused over what is simile and what is metaphor.

Answer 4

You should start by not wanting to get pregnant, just have sex everyday or every other day and don't think about getting pregnant, just have fun with your partner. Get more useful information and guides to get pregnant here https://tr.im/Z4c0l
after sex-put a pillow under your butt or prop your feet up on the wall so your pelvis is tilted
eat healthy
back off caffiene
workout, even if its just a 20 minute walk a day, be active.

Answer 5

They are obviously less educated than older Americans so they rely on filler words while they gather their like....uhhhh....thoughts.

I used to do the same thing. Becoming aware of the problem is the first step in correcting this speech pattern.

If you know someone who is doing this you might want to think of a tactful way of letting them know how they are talking. Maybe record their conversation and let them listen to it. They'll probably hear how they are talking and self correct without any further indicating.

Answer 6

Now they all say "I feel like" incessantly as if that makes them sound smart.
It has always fascinated me how these trends catch on so fast and move like a virus (i.e. they become "viral")

Answer 7

I think that it adds a vibrant and dramatic edge to an otherwise neutral and sterile style of communication.
What really gets up my nose is the unnecessary use of 'so' as in "it is sooooo not funny that you ********* "
The Cardiff accent makes every statement a question and every question a statement.

Answer 8

Just a phase the kids are going thru. Give them some time and they'll be over that soon. It's annoying but just don't think about it. Use earplugs.

Answer 9

"Like" is becoming very common in London as well, along with "Right" and "Init". They can even make a complete sentence out of this, "Like init right" or "Right like init" and even "Like right init", no watta mean bro!. I believe It was Samuel Johnson, who observed that Britain and America were two nations divided by a common language.

Answer 10

It's not Americans, it's mostly Valley girls from California. The ones with blonde hair....mostly an 80's stereotype.