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Old 09-18-2014, 09:49 AM
 
Location: MO->MI->CA->TX->MA
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Dunno.. I'm Asian and I've been speaking that way since the 90s. Most of my friends (white or other races) as well..
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Old 09-18-2014, 10:16 AM
 
Location: Buena Park, Orange County, California
1,424 posts, read 2,476,592 times
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I'm Latino, grew up in California, and don't speak that way. I live south of Los Angeles in Orange County though, and I noticed that the the closer I get to L.A., the more I hear that speech pattern. It used to be a valley thing, but it's very common on the west side too.

It's interesting that the OP's experience is from Canada, as ive always considered this a Californian thing.
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Old 09-18-2014, 02:52 PM
 
Location: London, UK
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Yeah its like is a filler word.

Where I live alot of people tend to say "literally" alot for example I heard a white guy say "I literally just got of the bus" I find myself doing that too like the other day I said "i literally can't take it anymore" can't remember what I couldn't take but that's not important

Come to think of it alot of people here say "Like" as a filler. Another round these parts is "still" fot example someone would say "I'm still coming, still" or "He didn't even say that, still..." its just dialect...
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Old 09-18-2014, 04:45 PM
 
Location: Canada
14,690 posts, read 14,826,861 times
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I'm in my 60's and don't use "like" as a filler. It drives me nuts to hear it but I guess it's more acceptable than to hear young people using the other common filler, that being the F word as every third word in a sentence. I don't know how common that is in other places but it's quite common with youths here and I'd like to shove a bar of soap in their mouthes every time I hear that.

So, no "like" or "F word" for me but lately I've noticed myself speaking with upward rising at the end of my sentences. I think that's because I hear so many other people speaking the same way now I've just picked it up without noticing and now it's become a bad habit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RudyOD View Post
I'm Latino, grew up in California, and don't speak that way. I live south of Los Angeles in Orange County though, and I noticed that the the closer I get to L.A., the more I hear that speech pattern. It used to be a valley thing, but it's very common on the west side too.

It's interesting that the OP's experience is from Canada, as ive always considered this a Californian thing.
It may have started off as a California thing but California has been an influential trend setter in many ways, especially in Canada, so it doesn't surprise me that these speech patterns have spread to other places. California --> Hollywood movie and tv industry --> sets trends going into everybody's homes and movie theatres everywhere. If people watch tv and movies they end up picking up the new buzz words and speech patterns.

.

Last edited by Zoisite; 09-18-2014 at 04:54 PM..
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Old 09-18-2014, 07:40 PM
 
4,363 posts, read 7,035,938 times
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People in Pennsylvania do not raise the voice at the end of a question. This peculiarity has been true for a long time, over generations.
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Old 09-18-2014, 08:11 PM
 
Location: Somewhere on this 3rd rock from the sun
543 posts, read 939,481 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Stranger View Post
Its not just 20-somethings. You may be watching a documentary and you will often see a male professor or talking head in his 40s who does the annoying up-talking thing, usually accompanied by that sort of gay/valley girl voice/accent which is slowly replacing what is now known as Standard American English.

English language is shifting right before our eyes (or sould I say ears)
Language is indeed shifting but I haven't seen anyone older than say 30 speak like this. On TV, in real life, anywhere.
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Old 09-18-2014, 09:55 PM
 
Location: Phoenix
1,110 posts, read 1,369,999 times
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How about putting importance on the word "the" prounounced as "thee".

Like, "NYC is thee best city in the world!".
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Old 09-19-2014, 03:41 PM
 
Location: Viseu, Portugal 510 masl
2,468 posts, read 2,613,084 times
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What's interesting is that the portuguese equivalent of like, the word "tipo" is constantly used in the same way here, by the "same" people, youths.
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Old 09-21-2014, 03:51 AM
 
Location: San Francisco
2,416 posts, read 2,011,899 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Stranger View Post
Its not just 20-somethings. You may be watching a documentary and you will often see a male professor or talking head in his 40s who does the annoying up-talking thing, usually accompanied by that sort of gay/valley girl voice/accent which is slowly replacing what is now known as Standard American English.

English language is shifting right before our eyes (or sould I say ears)
Shut up. I'm so outta here.
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Old 09-21-2014, 04:38 AM
 
3,750 posts, read 4,939,512 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rishi85 View Post

Another thing I observe is how every sentence ends with an upward swing. I can't put it into words right here but I googled it and it is an actual phenomenon. It is called up talk.

https://www.google.ca/#q=uptalk

If I could take a guess I'd say 80 percent of young women speak in this manner and perhaps 50 percent of young men. Everywhere in Canada(observed it in many cities).

How and when did this phenomenon happen. It couldn't be much older than the 2000s because either young people of the 90s got rid of it when they entered the work place and real world or they never had it on campus then.

What do you think? And does it annoy you or you do not mind.
It started in the 80s but really became more prevalent in the 90s. I think it's something people outgrow, I definitely know that teenagers in the 90s talked like that as well and they would be in their 30s and 40s now.
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