They’ve used a comma instead of an apostrophe and they haven’t put the word ‘like’ within single quotes.

But anyway – in any speeches I make, I won’t even use the word like legitimately if I can replace it with a “such as” or “similar to”.

Another thing we should remember is that if they’re only teenagers, be gentle with them. If they’re 40+ with baggy chins, give’um both barrels!

Also, remember mothers are special. Some of these misguided heroins are babbling in like-like to fit in with their daughters. I witnessed this in a cafe when one of the babblers looked like a haggard, drawn version of one of the snips at the table. How sad. Well intentioned guardians passing on the poison.

This phenomenon is as ugly and out of control as the oil leak in the gulf.

When I interview applicants for a job, the first “like” that flatulates out of their mouth is a red flag. Upon the second one, I rip their application right up in front of the applicant’s face.

I won’t put up with “imlike” and “iwuzlike”.

Strongarm robbers and cut-throats in prison talk that way. So do insipid sheltered women. Therein lies the solution – if you hear fishy bimbos babbling in like-like, tell them they sound like prison inmates. If you hear guys talking that way, ask them when they’re getting their sex change operations.

I blame Jay Leno for promoting this kind of ignorance and stupidity. I went so far as to send a note to Brooke Shields for talking that way in a Harper’s interview. I told her she’s too good for that. Good books she’s written, good TV shows. I praised her work and told her she doesn’t want her little daughter to think it’s alright for a 40+ year old woman to talk like a twelve yaar old kid.

Learn how to speak English without the filler words. And don’t raise the inflection at the end of a sentence if it is not a question.

And don’t say, “What this is, is…”

On the downside, everything will end up looking like Prince’s liner notes.

Remember learning in school that authors sometimes were paid by the word? Have you ever paid a high cell phone bill because of too many characters in an SMS?

Language is not just subjected to dialectic bias. So, when words are money, economize.

Robert Jordan is guilty of incomplete sentences in the last two books of his I’ve read, Wheel of Time #9 and #10. It really slows down the reading. His first several books were nearly perfect as far as spelling and grammar are concerned. Maybe he is becoming senile.

http://www.whoisean.com/main/2006/06/acadamy-of-linguistic-awareness.h tml

That said it must be noted that spelling as a whole in an age where only about 5mm rests between g and h speeling errors are common.

However I do agree with the fact that if i cannot convey one clear linear thought without having to break a simple 5 word sentance into a paragraph of likes and ya knows then how am i to get others to understand what i’m saying.

/I blame videogames!
//how old is Bob Barker?
///SLASHIES///!

Overuse of “like,” or any other word, is simply a form of static in speech. It’s extra sound that adds no meaning, and in the most extreme cases, can obfuscate the point the speaker wanted to make. Yes, it’s casual speech, and need not be held to the same standards as formal speech (or writing, though I would argue that since the written word lacks facial expression, body language, and other means of conveying a message that clarity is more important here, and some formality should ALWAYS be used). That said, if I’m listening to someone, it’s because I want them to communicate a point. If all I’m getting is noise, I may miss their point–or worse, I may decide I don’t care enough to continue to listen.

My second point is simpler. We need to be critical of a habit of misuse, certainly. At the same time, however, we need to be tolerant of minor errors that aren’t indicative of ignorance or a pattern of error. I would point out that I found an error in almost every “intelligent” post here, including the professional author and proofreader. People make errors which they may fail to notice, despite knowing how the language should work. I’m a nitpicker, right down to comma splices, and yet I suspect that there is an error in my own post somewhere.

To the people who don’t care about correctness and feel that if their point was communicated, they did a good enough job, you are lazy. You’re opting to be incorrect in speech and writing because the consequences of your errors aren’t severe enough to make you care. I would never hire you for a job I want done right; you’ll stop when you feel it’s passable.

To the people who nitpick every single thing in casual speech and writing, you’re wasting energy that could be better spent on other things. If a “like” slips into a sentence alone, I’ll bite my tongue. If someone accidentally presses two keys and doesn’t notice their typo, deal with it. It’s the people who don’t know they’re consistently making errors, and the people who do know (or worse, assume they’re making errors, but don’t care to correct them), but choose to be wrong because it’s easier, who bother me.

Again, I’m sure someone will find an error in my post. Any such error is fair game. If I chastise people for speaking and writing improperly, I have to be prepared to accept the same. I like being corrected (when it’s done with respect and tact). I care about what I write, and want it to be correct.

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll read it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcusae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

I regret joining so late in the game but I thought this might make it worth the effort of reading all the way down to #77. Besides, the inserting of like between every word stopped being clever after the second post. Even those of you who don’t see a need for proper grammar in speech can agree that where your generation had a relaxed view of language, mine is growing worse with every hedonistic fad. You seem to live in something of a culture bubble if you think ‘like’ is still a problem. Have you not seen the swill coming out of instant messengers? Gone are the days of ubiquitous place holders, now you’re lucky to get a word spelled in its entirety, excluding cases where numbers are used in their place. I certainly don’t expect the world to spout William Blake back and forth but can we at least have actual words? That’s where that relaxed attitude becomes a problem. Slipping from formal to casual is perfectly fine, but we’re going from casual to unintelligible. It’s ok to be a little alarmist.

Can’t we all just join hands across America for the end of lol?

it’s a classic to misspell “awareness” in the middle of calling other people stupid.

thanks,
Eric

Yours sincerely

One way coming to terms with this pathetic iteration of a substitute for diverse ideas that just don’t seem to have an adequate expression is to slow down your speach. Don’t assume that people will know what you mean just because you’re simplistic and seemingly uncomplicated and easy going. The fact is that nothing you say will be remembered or cited. You see, you’re just a waste of time and space!

Yours sincerely

Proper grammar and proper spelling are not difficult things to master. 90% of the time, whenever someone has a problem of that nature, it’s due to sheer laziness and willful ignorance. People like being ignorant, and in general they are far too lazy and complacent to think of improving themselves at all.

I can’t stand the simpletons who can’t add anything menaingful to conversations; all they can wome up with is “Dude, you need to chill out and enjoy life more!” Ok, if you have nothing meaningful to add, please shut up and die. The whole idea of someone *actively* deciding to comment somewhere and say: “Why is this a big deal? Stop caring!” is perverse and oxymoronic.

Don’t complain that a blog/comment-war was a waste of time. No one fucking made you read it. As if your time is so precious; you’d just be reading some other stupid forum discussion somewhere else, and complaining about how all your time was wasted there as well.

***
The English language is DYING, and it’s precisely because of attitudes like the ones presented here. Non-academics, non-scholars, “average joes” who are perfectly content with their utter illiteracy and inability to communicate effectively and properly and convey their meanings clearly and who, furthermore, feel the need to PREACH their IGNORANCE to those of us who DO decide to speak and write properly, are the main weapon in this war.

In 50 years, we’re all going to be talking in ebonics (the most ridiculous thing to ever come out of America, perhaps?), and we’ll have completely forgotten how to punctuate sentences and speak clearly.

We’re gonna take things to the limit, you know what I’m sayin’? And you better don’t try to stop it, neither, ‘cuiz that shit’s coming daahn, like, for RILL. It’s like, it’s like, dayum, dood, who be TRYIN to tell me how I can and can’t talk?