I don't like "like"

[LeeH]

My 11 year old's use of the word "like" has increased dramatically this year. Some of her best friends can use it 20 times in, what should be, a 10 word sentence. Please tell me there's a cure!

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by LeeH

My like 11 year old's use of the word "like" has like increased like dramatically this year. Like some of her best friends can use it like 20 times in like, what should be like, a 10 word sentence. Like please tell me there's like a cure! like

Like fixed it ya

[Rick V]

Damnit Mark you like beat me to it

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by rick v

damnit mark you like beat me to it

[968rz]

1 year more of being locked in her room for every like used out of context.

If your a dad like me the lock in starts at age 12 and will last till 30, add to that every like and she'll be safe forever.

[p911dad]

Like we say in Canada, eh?

[DARISC]

Like yeah, ya know whum sayin? that sucks! Ya know whum sayin'?

[Rick V]

I heard dat!

[Tervuren]

I think they like, use it whenever their mouth is like, running faster than their mouth is, so they feel the need to like, fill in a word to make up for like, the fact their brain isn't keeping up with like, their mouth.

There are two solutions - help them get smarter and faster in processing what they want to say, and increase their ready vocabulary, or get them to slow down how fast they talk. In simpler terms, slow the mouth down to a speed the brain can stay ahead, or speed the brain up to keep pace with the mouth. The former is probably the better option, but the best option is both. Thinking before, or even if, you say something, can make someone seem a lot wiser.

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by 968rz

1 year more of being locked in her room for every like used out of context.

If your a dad like me the lock in starts at age 12 and will last till 30, add to that every like and she'll be safe forever.

I've tried to implement a program I call, "Dime-A-Like." If I truly charged $.10 for each "like" out of her mouth and I think I could quit working.

[masraum]

I think time is the only cure, and even then it's not guaranteed.

It seems to be worst with younger teens, and gets a bit better as they get older.

What really makes me sick is when I see folks actually continue the trend in typed media.

[Zeke]

Bring her over and sit her down in front of me, a 66 YO scraggly old man. I'll tell about the days in 1959 when like every other word was like. Oh, and I'll tell her how b!tchin' everything was at that time in jr high. She might run run screaming to her friends, "Don't ever say that old man's word again!"

Like cool man.

[imcarthur]

Our youngest, who is, like 27, seems to be in the, like, vanguard of use of this irritating word. Sort of a, like, extension of Valley Girl stupid. But America's bastardization of the English language is, like, nothing new.

Ian

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

...There are two solutions...

Those are good. I just thought of another. For every offense, make the offender write the offensive sentence in proper English, eliminating all offensive 'like's.

Like, that oughta teach 'em. Ya know whum sayin'?

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

I think they like, use it whenever their mouth is like, running faster than their mouth is, so they feel the need to like, fill in a word to make up for like, the fact their brain isn't keeping up with like, their mouth.

Definitely part of the problem with her. Her mouth can't keep up with her brain. She reads 3-4 times faster than I can with way better retention (ex: Harry Potter books read in two days). It's funny when she tries to read aloud as she gets severely toungue tied.

My daughter's friend is over this afternoon, so I'll spend the evening trying to get her to speak English again.

[Tobra]

Groovy; they totally can't have that one either.

I have heard some discussion of the apropriate spelling. I know more than one guy that insists it is spelled(speeled?) *****en. The reasoning being that you were referring to something that was bad ass, not complaining.


The possibility that the involved parties are colluding with the intent to "mess with my head" should not be discounted, given how I sometimes am about spelling and grammar.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by masraum

...What really makes me sick is when I see folks actually continue the trend in typed media.

This morning, cute little TV news-mouth, standing in a hurricane puddle, reported that power is still off, but "They are efforting to get it back on".

AAARGH!!!

[ckissick]

In 8th grade there were a few kids who said "you know" all the time. The teacher instructed everyone in the class to blurt out "you know" every time we heard it, thereby interupting the speaker. They stopped saying "you know" before the week was out.

If you and the rest of the family interupt your girl with a loud LIKE every time she says it, she will find it very annoying. The only way to stop this will be to stop saying "like".

[LWJ]

I had a Professor at UO who would put you on the spot in front of 300 classmates and demand a coherent verbal answer. If you said "um," "uh," "like," or some similar variant, he would mock you.

An excellent tool for behavior modification.

Larry

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by LWJ

...If you said "um,"

Ha! Judge Judy jumps on that, loudly, "Um's not a word!"

"So I borrowed him the money..." "No you didn't!"

"So me and him...". "He and I!"

Judge Judy be cool, like, ya know whum sayin'?