Why is "like" viral?

[Koganesaga]

People often pick-up the habit of saying "like" out of context without even realizing it, and even more so hate being called on it.

My question is, how can something like that be so contagious?

 

[Siuki]

It's a simple word, mostly, and the word is versatile, if not misplaced.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

It's like so like easy to like say. Cause ya know like it's like whatev when like out on the like town talking to my like girls about like stuff.

 

[MR T3D]

exposure, one's speech often adapts to their environment.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

I mentally conditioned myself not to ever use that word in that context-less context.

Just replace it with 'enjoy' and 'similar' in your mental vocabulary. Works wonders.

 

[Zosephine]

I try not to use it in such a manner, but when I do, it's because I'm stalling for time. I use "um" in a similar way.

 

[Siuki]

exposure, one's speech often adapts to their environment.

And when your environment is full of valley girls, it gets annoying.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

I use "like" quite a bit, but that's because I have to use a simile in almost every sentence due to forgetfulness.

 

[PrimoThePro]

It's just like yawning, or bobbing your head. (like it sways up and down ever so slightly)
Anyways, it can easily be stopped merely by being aware of what you say.

 

[Valksy]

I'm afraid that I tend to view someone who uses "like" every other word to be a bit dim - As if they are unable to process thoughts and make sounds at the same time and need something as a buffer to fill in the gaps. But then I appreciate people who know what they want to say and speak directly and to the point.

 

[The Heik]

People often pick-up the habit of saying "like" out of context without even realizing it, and even more so hate being called on it.

My question is, how can something like that be so contagious?

Well it's simply a replacement for "uh" or "uhm" in the English language's repertoire of stalling words. And as we know, thinking of something "new" for old meanings is rad (we still use that word.......right?)

 

[Xojins]

It's essentially the same thing as saying "uh" or "um" in your sentences, so I don't really think it's bad to use. I don't know how it became so contagious, but I can sort of see why.

 

[blankedboy]

exposure, one's speech often adapts to their environment.

Pretty intelligent for a guy with no capitals and a L33TSPEAK name.

 

[mornal]

I was told it was a filler word. Most people have one that they use when they need to keep speaking but are in the process of gathering their thoughts. I use "umm", but I catch myself using "like" everyonce and a while.

 

[Levitas1234]

I mentally conditioned myself not to ever use that word in that context-less context.

Just replace it with 'enjoy' and 'similar' in your mental vocabulary. Works wonders.

But it's not similar to Kodak film, its like Kodak film!

I am actually going to follow this tip and boycott the word like as of now.

 

[Koganesaga]

People often pick-up the habit of saying "like" out of context without even realizing it, and even more so hate being called on it.

My question is, how can something like that be so contagious?

Well it's simply a replacement for "uh" or "uhm" in the English language's repertoire of stalling words. And as we know, thinking of something "new" for old meanings is rad (we still use that word.......right?)

I'm quite aware of that, but why DOES it replace it? Why not using uh or uhm? What possible reason could it have to take priority?

 

[The Heik]

People often pick-up the habit of saying "like" out of context without even realizing it, and even more so hate being called on it.

My question is, how can something like that be so contagious?

Well it's simply a replacement for "uh" or "uhm" in the English language's repertoire of stalling words. And as we know, thinking of something "new" for old meanings is rad (we still use that word.......right?)

I'm quite aware of that, but why DOES it replace it? Why not using uh or uhm? What possible reason could it have to take priority?

Beyond kids using new language to rebel against their parents, it probably evolved from someone saying something in the order of "it's like this" but forgetting what the "this" was mid-sentence, so they repeated the last word in order to stall, and it caught on from there.

 

[Koganesaga]

Like, Oh!mygod...
Ahem.
All joking aside, it seems that the word "like" has been misused so long it's starting to be grammatically correct in some new ways. I think it has to do with the Universal Grammar, which is this theoretical thing we learned about in linguistics class. Basically, we're not born speaking English or Spanish or whatever our native language is, but we're born with the innate tools to learn any language, and one of these tools is called the Universal Grammar.
This theory explains how creoles are formed. Probably the most well known creole is the Creole that originated in the New Orleans area, which is a mix of French and Spanish. The first generation just used French and Spanish words interchangeably, without any set grammatical rules; linguistic theorists call such a mixture of languages a pidgin. Then, the next generation grows up hearing the pidgin, and applies their innate Universal Grammar to it while they're learning the language, and what they create is a creole. A creole has a full set of grammatical rules.
So, since the word "like" has been misused for decades, newer generations have heard it while they were learning the language, applied the Universal Grammar to it and created new grammatical uses for it that make sense in the context of what they've heard. Don't get me wrong, it's still misused a whole lot, but there are also many cases where what sounds as if it's a misuse of the word "like" has an underlying grammatical significance. For example, "like" can signify a summary of what someone said or did, as in, "he was like flailing his arms and then he was like 'oh shit!' and then he fell."
Or maybe I'm full of shit and I patched together a half-assed theory from what I can remember from a class I took years ago, you decide.

Well you may be right, however just because people were born into it doesn't mean it should be accepted, it's like saying American obesity is ok because they were born into obese family's.

 

[Icecoldcynic]

It's just one of those placeholder words everyone uses to give their brain time to process what they're about to say. Everyone says things like 'er' or 'um' or in this case, 'like'.

 

[Abengoshis]

It's because, like, people have to, like, think before they, like, speak so, like, they have to, like, add something which leaves the sentence, like, open, like, so the listener doesn't, like, think they've finished their, like, sentence, or something.

(Lots of people where I live say "or something" at the end of what they say)