AIBU to detest kids saying 'like' 4 times per sentence?

[Snidpan]

or to put it into youth speak:
"Like: when do - like - kids, stop like...saying "like", you know, 4 times per, like, sentence?"

When do they, like, grow out of it?

honeygirlz the study was about the quotative (reporting speech) rather than it being used as a filler - although sometimes you can't fully differentiate between the two.

I would have thought that 'he said, she said' would suffice for speed and clarity, wouldn't it?

It would but "I/he/she was like" seems to be more popular. It's strange but I think because it's so commonly used now that we, depending on age group perhaps, would notice constant repetition of "said" more than "like". Also "said" is more 'on the record'... "I/he/she was like" is handy when you're recounting speech/dialogue second or third hand and don't know exactly what was said - that way you're not actually putting words into someone's mouth. Or you can use it to shift things your way if you're so inclined - handy if you're recounting a conflict, for example, and you want to make someone come off as a bit more unreasonable/aggressive/unkind etc. than they actually were without going so far as to say, "then he said blah blah blah". It feels similar to, "I go" which was what everyone said when I was a kid e.g "so he goes, "where's your tie?" and I went, "I left it behind" but again that feels more on the record than like? I think "go" is still popular in parts of Ireland actually but that might just be the novel I read.

I'm not sure how well I've explained it but that's the tree I was barking up anyway!

You "detest" it? What is the purpose of this thread, to point out your social superiority over these "kids"? Are you so deeply insecure that you need to do that?

A lot of kids who don't come from a posh, privileged background don't always have the confidence or ability to express themselves eloquently and fluently and this can be something that keeps them down all their lives, unless it can be picked up and improved upon at school. We had to do presentations to the class in English GCSE 30 years ago and I had no idea I said "Like, errrr," so often until I saw myself on video. A further six, seven or so years down the line and I was able to present myself well enough to enter onto a professional career path. If you are able to talk eloquently in standard English to others from a young age this is a privilege. A lot of people take years to get there, and some will never get there at all and may be held back in life because of it.

It's taken the place of 'errr' - when people need to pause while they rummage in their heads for the next word.

@Graciebobcat Go back to bed and get out the other side

It's got nothing to do with class or privilege.

DD is 15 and even texts like. "Mum, can you collect me from Susie's at like 10"?

They all do it. I collected her and another friend yesterday to drive them both home and it was like, like, like all the way.

Thats like, amaaaaaazing. Sob.

From 1:30
Miriam Margoyles correcting Will i am ..

Me: "What time are you getting the bus after school?"
Child: " Well, I can't lie: probably 4pm, to be fair"

You got that wrong, in this house it would be "Well I'm not gonna lie, like 4pm to be fair".

Have also been guilty of picking her up on it when she says "going to be back at like 9" whether that means she is going to be back at 9, or 8.45, or 9.15, or when? Or when I ask what she wants for dinner and she says "like pasta" whether that means potatoes or bread, or whether she does actaully want pasta?

Yes very common it seems, we just corrected gently and tried to tone it down before it got too ingrained.

Another one is 'to be fair' - had a brief spate of that every other sentence.

It's not new, I remember teachers telling classmates off for it when I was at school. We're 50 now and friends don't do it anymore...

Could be worse, in mandarin the most common filler phrase is the n-word!

Like, whatever, Karen.

(Sorry, I’ll show myself out).

We have “like” here too (DD 14) and “you get/know what I mean” - usually when she’s explaining what she’ll accept to eat or wear and I have no idea what she means...

It gets to be such a habit that it is hard to stop. My siblings and I all "helped" eachother get out of linguistic habits before they became habits.

I find it really irritating on R4 where some interviewees say "you know" in every sentence, sometimes more than once in a sentence. These are intelligent people who are making valid points, so surely they don't like hearing the interviews afterwards with all those "you know"s?! Once somebody tells you that you are using a particular filler, I think you become more aware of it and can try to eradicate it. Seems to me to be similar to telling somebody they are wearing a T-shirt inside out - if it was deliberate, fine, that is their choice, if unintentional they can deal with it once more aware of it.

My DCs don't use "like", but DS2 used "I mean" a lot for a while because his GF did, but it stopped a month or 2 after they split up. DS1 and his GF say "me and X are going to....." and I think that might become the correct usage in time as they seem to think "X and I are going to...." is just too posh.

@JinglingHellsBells It's got nothing to do with class or privilege.

"The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence".

@Graciebobcat I agree with @JinglingHellsBells, you hear a lot of very posh accents using fillers, maybe "you know" more than "like", but it is not a class thing. DS's state school has a lovely "speak like a scholar" initiative which is effective for Y7/8, but too uncool for the older ones!