David McCullough Urges BC Graduates To Speak Properly: Cut The "Like!"

NEWTON, Mass. — Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough has a suggestion for what young people can do for their country.

"Please, please do what you can to cure the verbal virus that seems increasingly rampant among your generation," McCullough implored Boston College's class of 2008 at commencement ceremonies Monday.

He said he's particularly troubled by the "relentless, wearisome use of words" such as like, awesome and actually.

"Just imagine if in his inaugural address John F. Kennedy had said, 'Ask not what your country can, you know, do for you, but what you can, like, do for your country actually," he said.

Graduates apparently thought his speech was, like, awesome. They gave him a standing ovation.

Comments

[javaman]

I'm trying to break my stepson of this habit.

[Gdebs]

A student once asked me why I said everything as though it was true. I didn't understand her comment at the time and told her that, yes, I didn't intentionally tell falsehoods so I said everything as though it was true. Later I realized what I think is the the explanation for her comment.
Young people use an interrogative inflection on a declarative sentence. Therefore, a declarative inflection on a declarative sentence sounds too authoritative to them.
I heard Frank McCourt comment on this on a TV panel. He was a teacher.
I don't know how we change this.

[JerseyBob]

I have noticed the interogatory inflection on the last part of a delaratory sentence too. I hadn't heard McCourt's comments on this but I have read his books and spoken with his brother Malachy once. Malachy tells a good story.

In Northern Ireland you will hear a declaratory sentence spoken in what seems to be an interogatory manner. This is also obvious when many Scotch speak. Having visted Northern Ireland twice and hosted visitors from Northern Ireland, I can generally tell if a person is from Northern Ireland, It sounds right because it is their standard manner of inflection and is not an affectation or sign of some defect in their cultural milieu.

Why this occurs in America I don't know. To me it sounds as though it has its roots in a winge or complaint. "I have to clean up my room." becomes "I have to clean up my room?". This is a poor example I know but it serves to illustrate. "The car is out of gas?" Of course it all needs to be heard in context.

There is no charm to it. A linguist might be able to answer better the question of why this is so widespread.

[racetoinfinity]

No one uses adverbs anymore, either.

I just heard Congressman Harold Ford on MSNBC say, "He never took it personal."

God, it sounds so ignorant.

[robertlockwoodmills]

Other common errors:

"Home in" (approach), not "hone in" ("hone" means "sharpen")

"Where is it?" not "Where is it at?" ("at" is a direction, not a location)

"I'm eager to go,' not "I'm anxious to go" ("anxious" connotes anxiety or nervousness)

"Fewer items," not "less items" (if the noun is quantifiable, use "fewer")

"Between you and me," not "Between you and I"

[DixieMelody]

"At this point in time."

"For all intents and purposes."

[daedalus42]

It gets even worse. I'm a writing teacher (maybe I'm to blame!), and I see students auralizing words (I think I need a new phrase for that). Example, "For all intents and purposes" gets turned into "For all intensive purposes" in their writing. They don't see it written, just hear it, and so translate what they hear.

[research]

I do it all the thyme, but I'm a voracious reader. Odd too, because I have trouble hearing the spelling of a word, whereas I see spellings easily.

[racetoinfinity]

thefreedictionary:

Usage Note: Anxious has a long history of use roughly as a synonym for eager, but many prefer that anxious be used only when its subject is worried or uneasy about the anticipated event. In the traditional view, one may say "We are anxious to see the strike settled soon" but not "We are anxious to see the new show of British sculpture at the museum." Fifty-two percent of the Usage Panel rejects anxious in the latter sentence. But general adoption of anxious to mean "eager" is understandable, at least in colloquial discourse, since it provides a means of adding emotional urgency to an assertion. It implies that the subject so strongly desires a certain outcome that frustration of that desire will lead to unhappiness. In this way, it resembles the informal adjective dying in sentences such as "I'm dying to see your new baby."

merriam-webster:

where:

1 : place, location the where and the how of the accident 2 : what place, source, or cause I know where that comes from" where it's at
1 a: a place of central interest or activity b: something (as a topic or field of interest) of primary concern or importance education is where it's at 2: the true nature of things
" where one is at

A lot of educated people make the mistake of using the nominative case ("I") instead of the accusative ("me"), thinking it sounds more "correct", when in fact, the opposite is true.

[andyboy]

Yeah and stop smiking weed and huffing wippets! And stop floating those huge multi-colored soap bubbles. Damnit! Kids. Punks. Hate 'em.

[JScott]

and uh the other one is uh....Uh and Ah Ah.

Not only that it can be very annoying to listen to a person who uses these uhs, ahs, ums,
ya knows and likes. And to a lesser extent actually and because. And the other one
You know what I mean. Using that is part of throw away speech, it doesn't make speech any clearer. I've heard language teachers tell students you can take out the you know what I mean and the because and the speaker will improve their speech A LOT. You notice a lot of very intelligent and well read people use these frequently and are totally unaware of it. But the most eloquent folks rarely use them.

[MissingAmerica]

THANK YOU!!! I am often surrounded by young people, seemingly educated, and every other word is "like". The word should be stricken from the dictionary! It seems to me that it would be easier to say "I have a test tomorrow" than "like, you know, I like have a f**king test -- like, TOMORROW, dude!" The former is so much easier and much more pleasant to hear.

[AdamNauseam]

It would be awesome if maybe David could advise Hillary "You Know" Clinton. You know, she sets a, y'know, bad example. You know, I can't really blame those who look up to her for, y'know, copying her speaking habits.

[bentenrai]

The French have the same problem. The current generation talks by pronouncing certain words in reverse (verlan) and introducing English words from American TV series airing there. The government itself is involved in curbing that trend, by forcing the media to use a quota system for English based content, and producing content that pushes the French culture and language to the forefront. The result is that the youth speaks French in formal settings and verlan in more familiar company. Those who refuse to speak correct French are marginalized by society. I'm not sure how long that will last, as their increasing influence puts some considerable pressure on the status quo.

[KristaJulieva]

Talk about old-fogeyism. "Like," more often than not, is not placed into speech randomly or meaninglessly, like "um." It can serve numerous functions depending on how it's used: it can qualify statements of fact that one is uncertain about, or lighten the impact of an expressed opinion, or indicate when reporting what someone did or said that what is being reported is being paraphrased, rather than quoted exactly. It is informal, certainly, but so is shortening do not to don't or I am to I'm. In most situations speaking informally is not inappropriate or an indication of a lack of intelligence.

[Camel54]

It's a bit harsh to say KristaJ is an"awesome idiot". I don't see the problem with young people speaking their own language. We all did it, and we all resented our teachers and parents for trying to stamp it out of us. With that said, there is no excuse for college graduates, or any other adult, to use the language of teenagers. And one of the problems with your examples here, KristaJ, using "like" to paraphrase is that it blurs the truth. One never knows if what is spoken is a quote or the interpretation of a feeling or a paraphrasing. "He was like, you suck, and I was like I'll kill you!" Was any of that said or was it expressed through body language or modern dance or what? I know people, very smart people, multi-lingual people many times over who still speak in this teen vernacular as fluently as the other languages they speak. I don't understand that, but it is incredibly annoying. So you're right, it's not a lack of intelligence, but it gives that impression, which is a disservice to the speaker.

[Smartey]

And you are a disservice to the reader.

[Smartey]

Oh, please. There is no comparison between those crutch words and the use of contractions.

You are, like, an awesome idiot, actually.

[lee4]

"Um" annoys me. Hillary puts it in the middle of her sentences all the time.

[gwhizz]

Isn't there some sort of "Godwin's Law" for posts like this?

[frankel1205]

Mr. McCollough is correct in his criticism, however, I'm afraid his words will have no impact. Valleyspeak has become the accepted norm for conversing. But listen to the man who has been our president for the last 7 years. Could anyone possibly massacre the English language more than Bush? We are dumbed down and it's doubtful any preaching from someone at a commencement address is going to help much. In addition to using "like", "awesome", and "you know", has anyone noticed people failing to use articles correctly? Almost on a daily basis, I hear TV personalities and others say, "He ate a apple." or "That's a interesting organization." Guess they never learned fourth grade English and the use of "a" and "an".

[pahpah25]

well, actually....its 'he et a apple'............... a truly awesome experience....you know.

[Wilbur]

Mr. McCullough is right on the mark! The assault on the English language over the last 30-40 years has been disgusting. I only wish that he had added to his list of unacceptable verbiage the common phrases "used to..." or "used to be..." Those drive me right up a wall! People are too lazy and/or ignorant to say correctly "accustomed to..." or "...once was..." If you look up "used" in an older dictionary, the given definition is something such as "having prior ownership;" in newer versions, they actually give one definition of "used" as "being accustomed to." Yet another example of the deterioration of America!

Wilbur

[LordKelvin]

Folks we are living in the HIP HOP Age. Given the possible dispensation of an Obama Administration, one should not be surprised that in order to accommodate the "Intelligent Masses" who he expects will vote for him, the WHITE PAPERS introduced in Congress will have to be written in EBONICS.

COGITO, ERGO SUM.

[Wilbur]

"WHO he expects to vote for him" ? Make that "WHOM he expects to vote for him."

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. And people who don't know how to speak the language shouldn't criticize others who cannot do so.

Wilbur

[Smartey]

True dat.

[cyb1851]

LordKelvin, you are deluded by your own racist views. Obama is an eloquent speaker and a highly-educated man who would serve as an inspiring role model for the country's black youths. You are so racist that you hate the thought that Obama represents a brighter future for minorities in this country. Unfortunately, there are people like you who enjoy the fact that blacks still aren't on equal footing in this country, economically and socially.

[bentenrai]

Spell R-A-C-I-S-T.

[LeonBNJ]

Perhaps he should have pointed out that poor verbal skills, including the heavy use of words such as 'like' and other such terms could hurt your chances to get and keep a decent paying job, like, duh...

[ICanHasDemocracy]

Finally! Somebody of note slaps the Valleyspeak down!

The word "like" has gone from simile, to mental cognitive interruption.

[Merckx]

I would like to read his whole speech. Does anyone have a link?

[DrDemon]

I wished at least one of use people could tell me when our troops are gonna leave Irack, get healthcare, get betta econ-me, get cheepa gas prices, x-sed-ra!

I mean like, people, we gotta smarten up caus we aint gonna get no where uther-wise! That's why I'm fortune-it that my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Bush, tot me how to right-n-spelll.

[realpolitic]

It does get annoying when those younger then say 35 use the word "awesome" to describe almost every experience. Very few experiences in life are awesome!

[Smartey]

If you're going to enter this conversation, look up the correct usage of "then" and than". In your short, two-line comment, you used the wrong one. Your brain is, like, awesome, actually.

[realpolitic]

I have been making many mistakes like that lately. I guess I am preoccupied.

[realpolitic]

My mistake!

[realpolitic]

Thanks, DixieMelody! And I raise your "That's hot!" with an "awesome." Thanks again!

[DixieMelody]

"That's HOT!"

That you POLITELY acknowledged Smartey's rather rude criticism of your honest mistake.

[ConnectTheDots]

Uhm.. if you had a teenager now -- you'd totally, like, know that the word "awesome" is SO out. "Awesome" is to a teen what "groovy" was to us as kids (something our hippie parents used).

[ZimboChick]

I have seen and heard older than 35 ones do it. I had the misfortune of watching something called Fashionista Diaries once and they were were all competing to speak like zombies....I didn't know whether i was so yesterday or it was the new American fad....school me please (they were speaking at 5 miles/hr - if that makes sense)

[realpolitic]

Yes, I do not know. In the movies, zombies do not too do much speaking. They mostly extend their arms and stumble forward. But I have heard many in their 40's who use the word awesome in every other sentence, too. I guess 35 was an arbitrary cut off.