by Lily A. Thorns

Created on: August 14, 2007   Last Updated: December 16, 2009

Like' is the most mis-used word in the English language. Valley Girls have influenced speech patterns in a way that is remarkable. This' Valley Girl' trend hit the apex of popularity in the 1980s, culminating in a 1983 movie starring Nicholas Cage bearing the same title. The hip lingo used in the movie, and all across the United States, had teen girls interjecting the word 'like' into every sentence. There were other words, such as 'totally' and dude' (which may hold claim to the second most mis-used word) but the staying power of like' is amazing.

These girls of the 1980s are now mothers of teenagers. Their children use the word 'like', not to compare, not to indicate preference, but just intermittently and nonsensically in nearly every sentence. To hear statements similar to the following is quite commonplace these days:

"The other day, it was like so hot that I had to like sit in front of the fan for like two hours to cool off." Or, "I don't like hamburger rolls, unless they are the good ones. Like you can get good ones, but it is like really hard to find them. The ones that are real bread, not like, tasting like cardboard are the best."

The first sentence uses like' three times. Twenty-six words, three of them are like' and none of them belong. The second thought, a series of three sentences, uses the word like' five times. Twice, we find the word used correctly, the other three times it is just there, taking up space in the sentence. The use of the word like' is intermittent and nonsensical. Even when used correctly, the word like' is so overused that better words should replace it. For example, "I don't care for hamburger rolls, unless they are the good ones. You can get good ones, but they are hard to find. The best ones are real bread and don't have a cardboard taste." It isn't difficult. In defense of the teens, their parents are probably only slightly better in their speech patterns.

The use of like' in oral language is commonplace to the degree that people barely hear or notice they are using the word. As an experiment, when listening to someone speak, count how many times they use the word like' incorrectly. It is mind boggling and distracting. When you actually try and concentrate on the number of times like' is spoken, it is very hard to sort out the message. Then, concentrate on what you are saying aloud. Notice how often you pause to avoid using the word. It is a bad habit, found universally through American society, which needs first to be noticed and then broken.

The mis-use of the word 'like' is not observed in baby boomers, it is primarily found in the people who are in their mid-forties or younger. Observing the older generation conversing with teens of today is amusing. The grandparents get very frustrated with and distracted by the overuse of like' and have been known to repeat the word back every time it is used. This frustrates teens to no end, sometimes distracting them until they forget the point they were trying to make.

Fortunately this mis-use has not permeated the written language to any large degree. It is, like, almost universally edited out of the final draft because, like, when you read it, you can like pick up the mis-used word with much greater accuracy. The ear accepts what the eye will not.

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