11 year old saying "like" all the time

[Beccabell]

My 11 year old dd (year 7 at secondary school) has started to use the word "like" constantly as a filler in her conversation. It's not just the odd one or two, it's constant. For example "It was like not there" "that's like so cool". She's been doing it for a while now, but it has got worse in her new school. I think they all do it, but she takes it to a new level. I am starting to worry about the future - interviews etc. I know it's a teen culture thing, but really she is doing it "like" all the time!! Do you think there is any cure for this, or any way I can get her to do it less? I'm even thinking about bribery - a prize if she stops doing it so much. The trouble is, she's not aware of doing it. It's driving me mad.

Is 'ill' like 'sick'? I like it!

Everthing is bare also. "Thats a bare good dinner", "I was bare annoyed".
I need a dictionary!

I suspect my 7yo will pick this sort of thing really quickly when the time comes

She has a dreadful habit of talking in baby speak all ^the frigging time, because that's how she and her friends talk in the playground at school. I am forever asking her to repeat what she's said.

I'm in Y10 at school and even I'm sick of it. What happened to the English language? Sigh. Admittedly, I'm partial to 'epic' and 'random' but 'like' grates on my nerves. If my friends do it, I either point it out outright, use it a lot in my own speech sarcastically, or make some kind of snide joke about 'valley girls', which most of them don't know about. Great fun. :D

Okay, I'm evil. But I'm evil and articulate. ;)

The scariest thing? I live in an area of the Midlands where everyone normally speaks the Queen's English. o.O

Koriana x

Sorry, cldn't read past the secondary school english teacher who can't spell :0

I remember using Like a lot at school 20 years ago - we all did. It's largely a nerves/habit thing I think. I remember the English teacher ripping the piss out of us for it so we all began to realise how we sounded.

I say "random" though and have used it for ten years at least and I'm 36.

beatenbyayellowteacup - "Basically, this is thread is bare long"

That had me crying with laughter!!

It's not limited to my children here, both ds and dh use a whole variety of gamers talk (epic fail, powned etc). dd and friends use 'shody', and in particular 'oh my gosh/god/OMG' exessively about really very minor things. However I combat this with a smattering of 'groovy' and other archaic slang, so I think we are probably about even. At work I'm known for my British-isms (we live in Canada), the other day someone claimed I said something they were doing was bollocks, and I had to admit it almost certainly was me

Hi mums,

I'm really interested in your discussion about teenage language. I am a freelance journalist looking to speak to London mums whose kids have adopted Multicultural London English (often called "Jafaican" or "Patois").

Preferably from white middle-class families ...

Please email [email protected] if you can help.
Thanks
Emily