Using "like" as a filler

I did this and so did like (ugh!) all of my friends. I'm glad I grew up and dropped it as it made me sound piss for brains, but it was a sign of the times for our age group (and stoners).

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dumbass_sempervirens@reddit

I'm currently trying to un-code switch.

I work construction so I leaned into the southern accent, and I'm trying to get back to my neutral one.

Not using fuckin as an uhh is a big part of it.

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Agree that the second I go back to my home state, I talk different. It's not so much region as the people I'm around tho. Luckily I don't think I'd drop a "but fuuuckin" as a placeholder any more but may depend on who I'm around. Yikes!

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DocMcCracken@reddit

I don't, and I repeat it every time my kids use it. So many use it without realizing it. It's a hard habit to break, but public speaking is important.

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HuckleberryHappy6524@reddit

Same here. It makes you sound uneducated when you use like every four words. Even more so when you start a sentence with it.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

It's really not unless you're in a position where public speaking is important. Most people don't have to worry about them shits

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omnes1lere@reddit

I'm from like the Valley so like just deal with it dude.

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techieveteran@reddit

I felt this was a west coast thing

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MarandTierra@reddit

I think it was originally, especially in California, when we were young. Then through TV and social media it’s become mainstream.

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techieveteran@reddit

I do it cause I’m sadly a valley boy.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

Nah, it's a wide spread like virus.

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TeekTheReddit@reddit

It's not just you. Verbal or in text, especially in text, I use like a ton.

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Automatic_Beat5808@reddit

I have noticed this about myself lately in verbal communication.

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lifeuncommon@reddit

It was our vocal fry. Sooooo many of us still use it.

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GustavSnapper@reddit

Like and over use of literally are my two biggest offences to the English language. I just can’t seem to break the habit haha.

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cdgman@reddit

As long as its not the word "literally" im ok with whatever you want to use as a filler.

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heresmytwopence@reddit

https://i.redd.it/32e4vkaoi43g1.gif

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C-C-X-V-I@reddit

Yup. That one stuck

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5tealthNinjaWhattt@reddit

Not typing but when I speak. Although I’m trying to not say that so I will pause if I know I’ll say it as a filler word. So far, so good.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

I want so badly to start this response with like. And it will work. So I'll do it: Like, text has become a stream of consciousness communication. We just blast a bunch of thumbs then send.

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5tealthNinjaWhattt@reddit

Haha! You know the passive aggressive thumbs up? My daughter says “no one uses it anymore.”

I say IDGAF. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 😂

Seriously, though, I also slow down the cadence of my speaking to make sure I don’t use “like” as much and it works!

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CheesyRomantic@reddit

See? My husband is Gen X and his brother is Mellenial. I am Xennial. They both (my husband and his brother) find 👍 to be passive/aggressive. But I find it to mean exactly what its meant to mean.... good job, yes, good point... etc...

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

I find it to be a low effort dismissal. May as well just say "k".

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

I just flow. And here's another one. Prefacing your text with dude. Like, "dude, you will not believe what Linda did today"

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5tealthNinjaWhattt@reddit

Guilty of that, too.

Don’t you think the slang these kids have now is so stupid?

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

It absolutely is. But our slang was fucking ridiculous to our folks as well

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CheesyRomantic@reddit

Not just you.

Its terrible. I use like as a filler when I speak and when I write.

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Indubitalist@reddit

Terrible or no, I, like, like “like” as a placeholder.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

That shouldn't have made any sense. But it makes complete sense

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

It's a sign of our times.

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CheesyRomantic@reddit

Haha yes. I find myself double checking my texts to people I don't know well. Because I don't want to be judged.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

You're preaching to the choir there. Like, if it's someone I'm cool with it's just a blast of thumbs and then send. Someone new? I analyze and reanalyze every word

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CheesyRomantic@reddit

Right?

Like I'm always wondering what type of personality am I communicating with right now... are they chill and laid back? Or are they the spelling and grammar police?

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TacosMakeMeFeelGood@reddit

All the time informally.

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Fair-Kitchen-9199@reddit

Awhile ago, when “like” first came into general usage, it was used to denote a cool sort of innocence. But it was over-used. I remember listening to a high school student talking to her chum and most of her convo was peppered with “like” to the point of it being painful to listen to. The passengers on the bus rolled their eyes and kept wincing. This was when mobile phones first started to appear here. And, to make matters worse, our girl was going to call her chum after she got home!! For myself, I rarely, if ever use the word as a filler.

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brightdark@reddit

I do it when I'm texting like, all the time

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I_HaveSeenTheLight@reddit

Thanks to Judge Judy, it drives me crazy when people use 'like' as a filler. I do find myself doing it sometimes when talking but I never do it when texting.

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Lumpy_Tomorrow8462@reddit

Literally like everyone literally does this. Litterally.

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misplacedbass@reddit

Absolutely never when I’m texting.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

I k ow this isn't you. But I legit was going to read through your history to try to prove you wrong and found this:

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misplacedbass@reddit

If you can find an instance of me using “like” as a filler word and not sarcastically, or for emphasis, I will be very surprised.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

I'm not gonna try. But this example was funny to me.

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misplacedbass@reddit

It is pretty fitting. Haha.

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justin6point7@reddit

Honestly, when it was common, hearing people do that use to bother me, but I.. like.. got over it, Scoob

Now I slip it into conversation sometimes, but typically only with likeminded people, like, yeah man, I relate.

Kinda cool, I worked for a call center, so had to learn to slip into regional dialects on the fly. Voice acting.

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Klutzy_Word_6812@reddit

So, I never used to do this. I consciously forced myself to not say it. It took a bit of effort to eradicate it from my vocabulary. Then I moved to California. It is much more prevalent here. And it has creeped into my conversation and even texting. In fact, it feels awkward to not say it. Weird.

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wanderswithdeer@reddit

Not when typing but definitely when speaking, and I hate that I do it! I read that it can have to do with slow processing speed, which I have.

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ConsciousChicken1249@reddit

Like, always ya know

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shawn615@reddit

Yeah, I’m pretty bad at it too

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aliceinadreamyland@reddit

I don’t. It’s a sign of hesitation and uncertainty.

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CorporalCabbage@reddit

I absolutely use like when texting. I don’t use it as a filler, I use it to restate something and show I’m being sincere or vulnerable. Here’s an example:

I can’t believe after 13 years she would just throw our marriage away so quickly. Like, it scares me to think I meant so little to her by the end.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

That's what I mean. The statement has equal impact with out like. But we use it anyway. Often. Even in text

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Room234@reddit

I tend to type anything roughly the same way I talk so... yeah, "like" shows up a lot.

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Coco_Cokie_Cookie@reddit

It’s a habit I could never break. My grandma was so annoyed when I said it as a kid. Instead of a swear jar, she wanted a “like” jar.

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Whatchab@reddit

I send voice memos often to a few people and hearing myself is very cringe. Just a couple days ago I said "Let's play a game called how many times can I say 'like.'" It's embarrassing and I hate it, but it's not changing how.

In better news, I stopped saying dude so much. Took a solid 10-15 years to drop it though.

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Separate-Relative-83@reddit

Like totally.

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Sal_Paradise81@reddit

Oh no. Like, I’m not self conscious about much, but the extent to which I make sure I use it in a grammatically correct way when texting it is shameful.

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CantaloupeAsleep502@reddit

I absolutely do this. But I just type how I talk in a text, not focusing on prose

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

Isn't the wild thin how we all adapted? Like, we do most of our speaking this way? There's no voice. It's just text. But it's so natural. How did we get here?

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blondeviking64@reddit

Like, what do you mean?

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foxontherox@reddit

I text “like” for emphasis. It’s only used as a filler when I speak.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

I'm just like, I don't know. Like, if someone asks me a difficult question I just start typing. Like, it's al.ost like speaking. I just do it with my thumbs. You know?

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Jets237@reddit

I do it too. I remember taking a public speaking course in college and "like" were the dominate filler used.. just carried it over

gif

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TransportationOk657@reddit

I do not. I dislike filler words, so I try my best not to use them while speaking.

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Mr-Brown-Is-A-Wonder@reddit

That's like typing "uhhh" while considering your next word. Do you also slur your texts when you're drunk?

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

Honestly? In a way, yes. I'm sure there are mad typos and indistinguishable words when I'm hammered. Text slurring. Imma adapt that term

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foxontherox@reddit

Texting drunk combined with autocorrect is a legit dialect.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

I hear you. It really is

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worksnake@reddit

You're joking? I was born in 1981 and grew up in the United States, of course I use "like" like that.

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thosefriesaremyfries@reddit (OP)

I think the weird thing to me is how typing flows like speaking. It's a stream of consciousness thing that we've all adapted to

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xargos32@reddit

In texting? No.