Why do Americans use the word "like" so often in their speech?

Question

They use it in front of every verb such as "I was like shocked... and he was like disgusted". It is used so liberally and wrongly. Even Singaporeans are talking this way.

I agree that this bad habit is prevalent in youngsters who are trying to sound cool. Seriously I think it just shows that they cant express themselves properly and it is so annoying because when I hear 10 likes in a conversation, I only remember "like what did she just said?" The argument that the word is used while they think may not hold cos why do you need to think when you are saying "I am like so disgusted"? I thought this should come automatically.

Answer 1

Not all Americans speak that way. It used to be just a "Valley Girl" (California) thing, so it started out as a regional quirk. It has gone mainstream over the past couple of decades. I catch myself doing it from time to time (usually after I've had like a few cocktails,) ;) but not to the extent of some people. It gets like quite annoying, actually, like when it is like every other word... =)

Answer 2

The colloquial use of "like" as a synonym for "as" originated with an advertising slogan used by Winston Cigarettes in 1954. The slogan was "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should", which is grammatically incorrect and should be "Winston tastes good as a cigarette should". When this complain was leveled at Winston they responded that the substitution was a clever contemporary synonym. The slogan become so popular that the substitution was added to the American vernacular.

After this, the word caught on as a synonym for "as", and slowly began being used as modifier of other words. It eventually became so common that has become an empty word, used as a place-holder when a pause is needed to collect thoughts or find think of the next word in a sentence.

Answer 3

It is a vulgar, rude, sexually explicit pejorative aimed at a group of people based on association. It is aimed at demonizing ridiculing and inspiring animosity against a group of people based on their association and their beliefs. It also uses homosexual sex references as an insult and is therefore derogatory toward gays. Calling members of the Tea Party "Teabaggers" is like calling black people the N word. It is a word meant to demean, insult and anger. It is a word meant to inspire hatred. That is the very definition of hate speech.

Answer 4

Not all Americans do. It's actually dying down, and when is used too excessively becomes a joking thing, making fun of the silly girls that do use it too much. The frequent use of the word probably stems from the fact that Americans don't like and aren't accustomed to silence, so when we're thinking of a word to say we say 'like' while our brain works. At least that's like what I like think.

Answer 5

It's just a bad habit that kids use. I hope it goes away,like, soon.

Answer 6

Well, since no one's voiced the Real Reason,
here you are:

As we don't wish to come off as 'haters,' we pepper
things up with the aforementioned, "like."

I mean, just imagine if instead, we were to say,
"...dislike this, and dislike that."

'Twould be awful now, wouldn't it?

*Note: Mr. Nerdlinger, above: People who aren't 'idiots'
tend to use 'anyway,' not 'anywayS'--well, most of us.

Answer 7

Yep I notice that too....at first I thought only teenagers talk this way but I realised Americans did that a lot too =p

Answer 8

It indicates a lack of both intelligence and a desire to speak correctly.

Answer 9

To fill in gaps in their speech, because the word doesn't come to them that quickly, so while thinking of it, they say, like, like, like, like, like...

Answer 10

you want to go live around the Denbigh area its uneye after everything uneye,