We frequently hear critics argue that U.S. students can’t write well and that there is a “literacy crisis” in the U.S. What is the origin of these discourses? What do they have to do with immigration, national security, and economics? How does the notion that Americans can’t write drive the national push to test writing? Here we explore the history of writing and testing in the U.S., the “science” and technology of testing approaches, and how the rhetoric of assessment impacts the lives of Americans today.

Friday, April 29, 2011

"And I was like totes magotes!"

So Paige's post got me thinking about one of the grammar quirks I've developed...and that would be the overuse of the word "like" in popularized American speech. When I was a freshman in high school, my Honors English teacher, in an effort to make us all more aware of our own dialect, had an assignment she created to help rid us all of these extra "likes." She passed out to each student 25 of these "like" cards and for the duration of the quarter, we were assigned to act as the "like police." At any point if we heard someone else use the word "like" incorrectly, then we could instantly call them out on it and demand the possession of one of their "like" cards. Whoever ended up with 25 cards at the end of the quarter received 100% for the assignment. If you happened to have more than 25, then they served as bonus points. I thought this was one of the most clever, most annoying activities ever. But, as it had to my peers, it made me so much more aware of how I spoke, and ultimately how other people spoke.

For a long while afterwards I would intrinsically pick up on when someone overused the word like, and it became incredibly annoying. I don't hear it so much anymore, but when somebody REALLY overuses the word I pick up on it pretty easily.

I found this funny video that attempts to justify and explain the "like" issue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8fbrUjjivw

Even if it does have all these so-called justified uses, I still find it extremely annoying.

Here's some things to think about (that kind of go back to what we talked about earlier in the semester in class):
If modifiers and other language quirks characteristic of dialects are OK in moderation, when are they acceptable and when are they not?
Should there be some sort of "police system" between Standard English and spoken English?
Is it really only English majors, teachers, and grammar buffs that find these overuses annoying?!



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2 comments:

Sarah said...

Sorry I copied the wrong link on accident! This is the real link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f72HSptSMYE&feature=fvwrel

April 29, 2011 at 7:29 PM
David T. said...

I thought both videos were really funny and moderately informative. I too notice when people overuse "like" and it can get very annoying when it is repeated over and over again. It is interesting, first of all, how the girls in the valley picked up on the language that they were exposed to. It is not dissimilar to the way that AAVE is spoken and spread in largely African American communities, even to people of different races and ethnicities. It also explains the way different dialects or accents are developed and maintained within the bounds of a certain community.

I also found it intriguing that the different ways in which "like" can be used have their own specific classifications and purposes. Although overuse of "like" and "ya know" can make a speaker sound less intelligent, I suppose they can be justified with these grammar rules. Just as a fashion or musical trend can be spread from one person to the next, we can see that the same is true for different dialects.

May 1, 2011 at 7:32 PM

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