So like... Because like... Then like...

JonJacob wrote:

It's like super fucking common in ummmm, like, Canada, dude, ya know? Thanks to Zappa I guess, as Dan Daly points out.

It doesn't bother me anymore, although I wouldn't listen to a podcast of it, I just mean kids talk how they want and I just KNOW I would not get a long with myself if I met me 15 years ago. So they are free to be idiots too, I undetstand.

I will tease though. If it's used unnecessarily ie: "so then I, like, went to this club.." I will question this; "So you did not go to the club but you did something similar, JUST TELL ME WHAT IT WAS, the tension is killing me!". That's just filler and they need time for their brain to catch up to their mouth. Fine.

If it's used as a replacement for a word that does the job better I correct them if I feel comfortable enough; "So then I was like... and he was like..." That's awfull and it's being used to replace "said" which is a perfectly fine single syllable word. Why replace it?

English is alive and constantly changing in different directions in different places. We have to accept it.

Around here "like" has it's own specific meanings depending upon context.

Although "like" seems to be used instead of "said", it often doesn't mean the same thing.

It often means that someone felt or expressed something non-verbally.
Example: He was like, "WTF!."
This doesn't mean he actually said, "WTF!" It means that he expressed this emotion in his facial expression, body language or tone of voice.

It can also mean: I'm paraphrasing what was said. This is not an exact quote.

When used to describe an action, it usually indicates that the speaker is summarizing what happened. "...so then I, like, went to this club.." indicates that going to the club didn't directly follow whatever event she mentioned previously.

Finally it can be used as a shortened form of "something like," or "seemed like."

Overall, the use of 'like' indicates that the specifics are unimportant to the point being made, or the information being communicated.

For example:

He was like bored. So I was like "Let's watch TV." And he was like, whatever.

Translation: It seemed like he was bored, although he might have been angry, or tired or distracted or worried. I suggested that we watch TV, although I don't remember exactly what I said. I may have suggested that we watch a movie. He responded in a way that indicated that he was indifferent to my suggestion.

The point of the above communication within a larger conversation may be that he has been moody and difficult to please. The specifics of exactly what was said and done is unimportant.