Okay, a general thread rather than the specific ones. Why is it that teenagers and young adults like fillers like "like", "you know", "um", "lol" etc. so much that they overuse them?
teenagers and young adults with fillers
Old man: Why do you speak such bad English? Why do you butcher grammar all the time?
Young man: Why do you speak like an old man? Why are you so, like, uncool and like, such a dork?
Old man: Oh, well... The way you use "like" really annoys me. It's non-standard...
Young man: I could care less. Your mom is non-standard.
Old man: Oh my goodness! You could care less? That means you care! What meaningless idiom is that?
Young man: What are you talking about? You must be pretty stoned, dude... I'm outta here
Young man: Why do you speak like an old man? Why are you so, like, uncool and like, such a dork?
Old man: Oh, well... The way you use "like" really annoys me. It's non-standard...
Young man: I could care less. Your mom is non-standard.
Old man: Oh my goodness! You could care less? That means you care! What meaningless idiom is that?
Young man: What are you talking about? You must be pretty stoned, dude... I'm outta here
<<Old man: Why do you speak such bad English? Why do you butcher grammar all the time?
Young man: Why do you speak like an old man? Why are you so, like, uncool and like, such a dork?
Old man: Oh, well... The way you use "like" really annoys me. It's non-standard...
Young man: I could care less. Your mom is non-standard.
Old man: Oh my goodness! You could care less? That means you care! What meaningless idiom is that?
Young man: What are you talking about? You must be pretty stoned, dude... I'm outta here>>
Perfect!!!!
But we must be careful not to over generalize. I've never spoken like that . . . and though I am two years beyond the definition of young adult, the fillers were in use during my adolescence and early twenties. And no, my use of "like" in that sentence doesn't count since it is an actual comparison.
Young man: Why do you speak like an old man? Why are you so, like, uncool and like, such a dork?
Old man: Oh, well... The way you use "like" really annoys me. It's non-standard...
Young man: I could care less. Your mom is non-standard.
Old man: Oh my goodness! You could care less? That means you care! What meaningless idiom is that?
Young man: What are you talking about? You must be pretty stoned, dude... I'm outta here>>
Perfect!!!!
But we must be careful not to over generalize. I've never spoken like that . . . and though I am two years beyond the definition of young adult, the fillers were in use during my adolescence and early twenties. And no, my use of "like" in that sentence doesn't count since it is an actual comparison.
I must say I agree with the old man, English should be spoken properly or not at all. I can understand if non-native speakers make mistakes, but native speakers should all speak it perfectly.
<<I must say I agree with the old man, English should be spoken properly or not at all. I can understand if non-native speakers make mistakes, but native speakers should all speak it perfectly.>>
How can anyone speak English perfectly? It is not a uniform language, not even in England, even the standardized version vary between the countries where it is the native language. Languages that are living must be free to move and flow naturally with the people. Language is not a fixed monolith; it is a tool of the people and it changes with the people. That is why they add words to the language every year. And that is why even the standards of grammar are updated and revised. If you look at the formal grammar of the Victorian era you will see something very different from the more relaxed standards of today.
How can anyone speak English perfectly? It is not a uniform language, not even in England, even the standardized version vary between the countries where it is the native language. Languages that are living must be free to move and flow naturally with the people. Language is not a fixed monolith; it is a tool of the people and it changes with the people. That is why they add words to the language every year. And that is why even the standards of grammar are updated and revised. If you look at the formal grammar of the Victorian era you will see something very different from the more relaxed standards of today.
I imagine the issue of dialect differences between generations has been a subject of contention since the beginning of language as we know it.
I still use the slang of my teenage years when speaking to my contemporaries but unlike when I was a teenager, I'm astute enough to know when it's more appropriate to speak without slang. Understanding your audience and being able to communicate with them in an effective manner is important and goes beyond vocabulary. Speed, tone, vocabulary, volume, all play a role in effective communication.
So I think the young man in Johnny's example is fine if he's speaking with people of his generation.
Anyone can speak however he or she wants to speak. I would not presume to tell others how to speak. But for myself, I don't want to say anything that doesn't mean something, and filler words are just that.... filler.
I still use the slang of my teenage years when speaking to my contemporaries but unlike when I was a teenager, I'm astute enough to know when it's more appropriate to speak without slang. Understanding your audience and being able to communicate with them in an effective manner is important and goes beyond vocabulary. Speed, tone, vocabulary, volume, all play a role in effective communication.
So I think the young man in Johnny's example is fine if he's speaking with people of his generation.
Anyone can speak however he or she wants to speak. I would not presume to tell others how to speak. But for myself, I don't want to say anything that doesn't mean something, and filler words are just that.... filler.
Mine was just a kind of joke. The meaning was: it doesn't matter whether you like a feature of a language or not, you are not going to change anything on your own, and it's all relative. You can't change a language, and if some people speak in a certain way, there's nothing you can do about it. Someone's perfect English probably sounds off to someone else, and someone's horrible English probably sounds alright to someone else...
Caspian, maybe your English sounds perfect where you live, but if you moved to like, Jamaica it would not be like, perfect anymore... unless you learned like, Jamaican and stuff ;-)
Caspian, maybe your English sounds perfect where you live, but if you moved to like, Jamaica it would not be like, perfect anymore... unless you learned like, Jamaican and stuff ;-)