Curing like-itis : admitting the problem is step 1
I recently saw this picture on the web, and taught it was perfect to describe the problem with linguistics today. It’s an epidemic I want to get rid of as quickly as possible – unfortunately, it’s everywhere. I can’t seem to watch television or go to the mall without hearing like-itis.
Of course, there is one small issue with this poster that would otherwise be the perfect ad for better language skills…. A couple of spelling mistakes I won’t mention. I guess a person can really only tackle one thing at a time, and I would be very happy to not have to listen to like-itis.
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It is, like, SOOO annoying! :)
A student handed in an essay a few years ago and the first word in the essay was "like".
Ouch.
I grew up in the Valley Girl generation.
This word "like" and the current, seemingly incorrect usage, is actually a holdover from surf speak, which morphed into the language of 80's and early 90's youth. It was made popular by the teen movies and an iconic rock song by Frank Zappa and his daughter Moon Unit.
Valley Girl and Valspeak do not really have cultural relevance anymore with the exception of this one word. Now most teens would completely blank if you referenced Valley anything to them.
It has become part of our vernacular, for better or for worse.
It is so funny to me, the elders of the previous generation that are scandalized by the total change in the common language as made by current youth culture. I'm very sure THEIR elders felt the same about "far out" and "cool."
This was the catch all word for everything in my generation. I am 35. People do eventually, like, totally grow out of it. I promise!