"You know, like" - No, I don't know, like!

Seanchai

What is it with every English-speaking gobshíte on every station using this expression? It's not just English speakers in Ireland. In the US and Britain they are just as bad, as a cursory listen to a British or US guest on the radio will confirm.

"You know" is everywhere as a pause in a sentence, or between sentences. It's not limited to people who make occasional appearances on radio. I can overlook that, but turn off the radio quickly. Almost every professional journalist, lobbyist and politician in Ireland can't resist saying "you know" in at least every third sentence. Seasoned, and otherwise excellent, journalists like Áine Lawlor use it constantly, and I cannot think of a single professional politician who, you know, avoids it. You didn't know, did you!

Is there anybody in Ireland who can speak clearly, directly, crisply and succinctly without "em", "eh", "like" or "you know" being plastered through their speech? Listening to that nasty, bullying Terry Prone individual say "you know" throughout her media appearances may be an indicator of part of the problem. She receives a huge amount of money to train people how to speak in public!

Surely it cannot be that difficult for people in public life to get rid of this inane, vacuous habit of saying "you know" in every sentence? It destroys any good points they have to say and adds nothing to whatever agenda or cause they are pushing.

/rant over

What Are Interrupters (You Know, Like This One) Doing in Our Prose?

And don't get me started on people using "you know, like" in the middle of an otherwise decent conversation in Irish. :mad:

---

What commonplace expressions in the English language do you hate most?

Can you think of a single public figure who avoids all of the above meaningless hackneyed expressions when talking? I really cannot.

stoneill

Literally, at the end of the day, it's a game of two halves.

squod

Thinly veiled ''I know lots of words'' thread.

reality19

Audrey Carville - late of BBC World Service & now occasionally on RTE -- Perfect diction & none of those
hateful phrases/words

1ZRed

Hardly a big deal, like!

Be grand :pac:

petersburg2002

GAA players on tv are probably the worst offenders when being interviewed.

smash

Like totes!

Casillas

It's our variant of the language known as Hiberno-English.

It developed from direct translations from Irish into English and just kind of stuck with us.

Example (Standard English) Do you know that six people were fired today?

(Hiberno-English) Six people were fired today, you know?

Just a cultural trait and nothing to be annoyed about. It's a part of what makes us - us!

Intensive Care Bear

You better avoid Limerick if that annoys you, like.

flash1080

Seanchai wrote: »

What is it with every English-speaking gobshíte on every station using this expression? It's not just English speakers in Ireland. In the US and Britain they are just as bad, as a cursory listen to a British or US guest on the radio will confirm.

"You know" is everywhere as a pause in a sentence, or between sentences. It's not limited to people who make occasional appearances on radio. I can overlook that, but turn off the radio quickly. Almost every professional journalist, lobbyist and politician in Ireland can't resist saying "you know" in at least every third sentence. Seasoned, and otherwise excellent, journalists like Áine Lawlor use it constantly, and I cannot think of a single professional politician who, you know, avoids it. You didn't know, did you!

Is there anybody in Ireland who can speak clearly, directly, crisply and succinctly without "em", "eh", "like" or "you know" being plastered through their speech? Listening to that nasty, bullying Terry Prone individual say "you know" throughout her media appearances may be an indicator of part of the problem. She receives a huge amount of money to train people how to speak in public!

Surely it cannot be that difficult for people in public life to get rid of this inane, vacuous habit of saying "you know" in every sentence? It destroys any good points they have to say and adds nothing to whatever agenda or cause they are pushing.

/rant over

What Are Interrupters (You Know, Like This One) Doing in Our Prose?

And don't get me started on people using "you know, like" in the middle of an otherwise decent conversation in Irish. :mad:

---

What commonplace expressions in the English language do you hate most?

Can you think of a single public figure who avoids all of the above meaningless hackneyed expressions when talking? I really cannot.

Ah sure you know yourself like, people are *****.

Youssef Chippo

Seanchai wrote: »

What is it with every English-speaking gobshíte on every station using this expression? It's not just English speakers in Ireland. In the US and Britain they are just as bad, as a cursory listen to a British or US guest on the radio will confirm.

"You know" is everywhere as a pause in a sentence, or between sentences. It's not limited to people who make occasional appearances on radio. I can overlook that, but turn off the radio quickly. Almost every professional journalist, lobbyist and politician in Ireland can't resist saying "you know" in at least every third sentence. Seasoned, and otherwise excellent, journalists like Áine Lawlor use it constantly, and I cannot think of a single professional politician who, you know, avoids it. You didn't know, did you!

Is there anybody in Ireland who can speak clearly, directly, crisply and succinctly without "em", "eh", "like" or "you know" being plastered through their speech? Listening to that nasty, bullying Terry Prone individual say "you know" throughout her media appearances may be an indicator of part of the problem. She receives a huge amount of money to train people how to speak in public!

Surely it cannot be that difficult for people in public life to get rid of this inane, vacuous habit of saying "you know" in every sentence? It destroys any good points they have to say and adds nothing to whatever agenda or cause they are pushing.

/rant over

What Are Interrupters (You Know, Like This One) Doing in Our Prose?

And don't get me started on people using "you know, like" in the middle of an otherwise decent conversation in Irish. :mad:

---

What commonplace expressions in the English language do you hate most?

Can you think of a single public figure who avoids all of the above meaningless hackneyed expressions when talking? I really cannot.

Stop making up words godammit

Dockington

They have this in other languages too. The French throw in stuff like bon, bas for a pause in sentence for example when thinking of what to say next. I would imagine other languages are similar. I wouldn't lose too much sleep over the butchering of the queens English. I do it myself all the time when public speaking.

AnonoBoy

reality19 wrote: »

Audrey Carville - late of BBC World Service & now occasionally on RTE -- Perfect diction & none of those
hateful phrases/words

You are good Audrey. And dreamy too.

kneemos

petersburg2002 wrote: »

GAA players on tv are probably the worst offenders when being interviewed.

Lookit.

Skid

Seanchai wrote: »

What commonplace expressions in the English language do you hate most?

What do I hate? Ah sure, you know yourself.

MJ23

petersburg2002 wrote: »

GAA players on tv are probably the worst offenders when being interviewed.

"i spuz like, d'ye know, at the end of the day, we were put to the pin of our collar, d'ye know like"

Pyr0

squod wrote: »

Thinly veiled ''I know lots of words'' thread.

Original.

Emeraldy Pebbles

Seanchai wrote: »

It destroys any good points they have to say and adds nothing to whatever agenda or cause they are pushing.

No it doesn't.

ejmaztec

Common people shouldn't be allowed air time.

AnonoBoy

Seanchai wrote: »

Can you think of a single public figure who avoids all of the above meaningless hackneyed expressions when talking? I really cannot.

Barack Obama. Kevin Myers. Brian Dobson. Vladimir Putin.

PhlegmyMoses

It's a nervous thing. Very few people are completely comfortable speaking into a mic or a camera so they resort to default phrases like that.

Anyway, there are far more important things to be worrying about. Have a **** or go out and get laid, you know, like.

Seanchai

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

It's a nervous thing. Very few people are completely comfortable speaking into a mic or a camera so they resort to default phrases like that.

I get that, but why people who are professionally using the English language in public lifeare repeatedly doing something as amateurism and unprofessional as this is not clear.

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

Anyway, there are far more important things to be worrying about.

Clearly, like the Manchester United versus Fulham soccer match.

Seanchai

Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »

No it doesn't.

Written by somebody who undoubtedly uses "you know, like" a lot and just can't stop.

Thrill

Seanchai wrote: »

Is there anybody in Ireland who can speak clearly, directly, crisply and succinctly without "em", "eh", "like" or "you know" being plastered through their speech? .

Em....eh....ah feck it, I give up. Whats the answer?

Seanchai

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Barack Obama. Kevin Myers. Brian Dobson. Vladimir Putin.

OK. Newsreaders are an exception! Thank you. Not so sure about Myers as I tend to turn the station when he comes on.

Seanchai

Dockington wrote: »

They have this in other languages too. The French throw in stuff like bon, bas for a pause in sentence for example when thinking of what to say next. I would imagine other languages are similar.

Interesting point. I wonder do professional politicians, journalists, radio presenters etc get away with such sloppy and lazy French in France, though.

Seanchai

Casillas wrote: »

It's our variant of the language known as Hiberno-English.

It developed from direct translations from Irish into English and just kind of stuck with us.

Example (Standard English) Do you know that six people were fired today?

(Hiberno-English) Six people were fired today, you know?

Ahem. Would you have an academic source for that?

Thrill

kneemos wrote: »

Lookit.

I've heard it a few times.What does it mean?

Casillas

Seanchai wrote: »

Ahem. Would you have an academic source for that?

Here;

Professor Terence Dolan, who has just completed a third edition of his Hiberno-English dictionary, discusses the way Irish people use the English language with Stephen Dineen.

For Terence Dolan, an expert of Hiberno-English for over thirty years, the distinctly Irish use of English is alive, well and changing. “One reason I write this stuff on Hiberno-English,” explains Dolan, “is I’m trying to celebrate the Irish use of English, to give it a full grammatical pedigree and to show how it’s used throughout the country and other places too.”

Dolan says there are three main components to Hiberno-English: the spoken word’s grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The grammar is based on the Irish language. “There’s no have in Irish, so you can’t say ‘I have written the book’ in Irish,” he explains, hence the Hiberno-English: ‘I’m after writing the books’. Translated grammar (from Irish) is the source of and being used instead of while in certain sentences e.g. ‘He came in and me having my dinner

http://www.eolasmagazine.ie/irish-english-explained

trashcan

Seanchai wrote: »

OK. Newsreaders are an exception! Thank you. Not so sure about Myers as I tend to turn the station when he comes on.

I hear ya. Sometimes the biscuit is more important than the wrapper, you know ?

123 LC

they're called fillers and used in every language, for example in france they often say 'eh bien' when pausing for thought.....it's a natural thing to do so i don't know why you're so annoyed about it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filler_(linguistics)

PhlegmyMoses

Seanchai wrote: »

I get that, but why people who are professionally using the English language in public lifeare repeatedly doing something as amateurism and unprofessional as this is not clear.



Clearly, like the Manchester United versus Fulham soccer match.

One more notch added to my profile views. Result.

Anyway, football isn't a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that.

IM0

so not only are you a grammer nazi, but you actually made a tred on being one

*tuts*

Aidric

The overuse of I suppose gets on my wick.

Seanchai

IM0 wrote: »

so not only are you a grammer nazi, but you actually made a tred on being one

Grammar. Thread.

Seanchai

Casillas wrote: »

Seanchai wrote: »

Ahem. Would you have an academic source for that?

Here;

Professor Terence Dolan, who has just completed a third edition of his Hiberno-English dictionary, discusses the way Irish people use the English language with Stephen Dineen.

For Terence Dolan, an expert of Hiberno-English for over thirty years, the distinctly Irish use of English is alive, well and changing. “One reason I write this stuff on Hiberno-English,” explains Dolan, “is I’m trying to celebrate the Irish use of English, to give it a full grammatical pedigree and to show how it’s used throughout the country and other places too.”

Dolan says there are three main components to Hiberno-English: the spoken word’s grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The grammar is based on the Irish language. “There’s no have in Irish, so you can’t say ‘I have written the book’ in Irish,” he explains, hence the Hiberno-English: ‘I’m after writing the books’. Translated grammar (from Irish) is the source of and being used instead of while in certain sentences e.g. ‘He came in and me having my dinner

http://www.eolasmagazine.ie/irish-english-explained

I'm afraid that doesn't support your claim at all.

Seanchai

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

Anyway, football isn't a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that.

So, if you're Irish, why don't you follow football rather than follow [British] soccer?

Casillas

Seanchai wrote: »

I'm afraid that doesn't support your claim at all.

How so? We have a distinct way of speaking English, e-mail and ask any English Lecturer in any Irish University.

There's no reason whatsoever for us to learn to speak Queen's English to perfection.

Language doesn't develop that way and it hasn't here.

Take the sand out of your craw.

monkeysnapper

At our wedding I was a bit nervous doing my speech, when I saw it on video I must have said "you know". " like". God it was cringe city , I totally agree with the op on this one

Seanchai

Casillas wrote: »

Seanchai wrote: »

I'm afraid that doesn't support your claim at all.

How so? We have a distinct way of speaking English, e-mail and ask any English Lecturer in any Irish University.

There's no reason whatsoever for us to learn to speak Queen's English to perfection.

Language doesn't develop that way and it hasn't here.

Take the sand out of your craw.

You made a quite specific claim. I challenged it. Your response amounted to: Hiberno-English exists! Nobody denies it exists. However, your claim that "you know, like" is rooted in Irish has yet to be specifically supported.

The Radiator

cool. I think this is an incredibly petty fread

indough

Seanchai wrote: »

I get that, but why people who are professionally using the English language in public lifeare repeatedly doing something as amateurism and unprofessional as this is not clear.

pfft, amateur!

nadey

Seanchai wrote: »

What is it with every English-speaking gobshíte on every station using this expression? It's not just English speakers in Ireland. In the US and Britain they are just as bad, as a cursory listen to a British or US guest on the radio will confirm.

"You know" is everywhere as a pause in a sentence, or between sentences. It's not limited to people who make occasional appearances on radio. I can overlook that, but turn off the radio quickly. Almost every professional journalist, lobbyist and politician in Ireland can't resist saying "you know" in at least every third sentence. Seasoned, and otherwise excellent, journalists like Áine Lawlor use it constantly, and I cannot think of a single professional politician who, you know, avoids it. You didn't know, did you!

Is there anybody in Ireland who can speak clearly, directly, crisply and succinctly without "em", "eh", "like" or "you know" being plastered through their speech? Listening to that nasty, bullying Terry Prone individual say "you know" throughout her media appearances may be an indicator of part of the problem. She receives a huge amount of money to train people how to speak in public!

Surely it cannot be that difficult for people in public life to get rid of this inane, vacuous habit of saying "you know" in every sentence? It destroys any good points they have to say and adds nothing to whatever agenda or cause they are pushing.

/rant over

What Are Interrupters (You Know, Like This One) Doing in Our Prose?

And don't get me started on people using "you know, like" in the middle of an otherwise decent conversation in Irish. :mad:

---

What commonplace expressions in the English language do you hate most?

Can you think of a single public figure who avoids all of the above meaningless hackneyed expressions when talking? I really cannot.

u mad bro?...like

im invisible

You dig?

LaVail

freak?

Almaviva

What about folks merging do-you-know-what-I-mean into one word German style : 'Junotamine' (sounds like it should be a cancer drug) ?

A lady on Marian Finucane yesterday unable to make a statement without tagging it on every time.

Emeraldy Pebbles

Seanchai wrote: »

Written by somebody who undoubtedly uses "you know, like" a lot and just can't stop.

Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I don't know if I do, as I'm me and as such am not aware of my tics. But there's no way you can infer that I use these filler expressions from my post so your riposte was inane.

And as someone said earlier, there is nothing wrong with filler words. Many and perhaps ALL languages have them.

mconigol

Seanchai wrote: »

You made a quite specific claim. I challenged it. Your response amounted to: Hiberno-English exists! Nobody denies it exists. However, your claim that "you know, like" is rooted in Irish has yet to be specifically supported.

Jesus get a grip :rolleyes:

trashcan

MJ23 wrote: »

"i spuz like, d'ye know, at the end of the day, we were put to the pin of our collar, d'ye know like"

Almaviva wrote: »

What about folks merging do-you-know-what-I-mean into one word German style : 'Junotamine' (sounds like it should be a cancer drug) ?

A lady on Marian Finucane yesterday unable to make a statement without tagging it on every time.

No, you're spelling it wrong, it's "jenowarimean"

Matt_Trakker

Seanchai wrote: »

What is it with every English-speaking gobshíte on every station using this expression? It's not just English speakers in Ireland. In the US and Britain they are just as bad, as a cursory listen to a British or US guest on the radio will confirm.

"You know" is everywhere as a pause in a sentence, or between sentences. It's not limited to people who make occasional appearances on radio. I can overlook that, but turn off the radio quickly. Almost every professional journalist, lobbyist and politician in Ireland can't resist saying "you know" in at least every third sentence. Seasoned, and otherwise excellent, journalists like Áine Lawlor use it constantly, and I cannot think of a single professional politician who, you know, avoids it. You didn't know, did you!

Is there anybody in Ireland who can speak clearly, directly, crisply and succinctly without "em", "eh", "like" or "you know" being plastered through their speech? Listening to that nasty, bullying Terry Prone individual say "you know" throughout her media appearances may be an indicator of part of the problem. She receives a huge amount of money to train people how to speak in public!

Surely it cannot be that difficult for people in public life to get rid of this inane, vacuous habit of saying "you know" in every sentence? It destroys any good points they have to say and adds nothing to whatever agenda or cause they are pushing.

/rant over

What Are Interrupters (You Know, Like This One) Doing in Our Prose?

And don't get me started on people using "you know, like" in the middle of an otherwise decent conversation in Irish. :mad:

---

What commonplace expressions in the English language do you hate most?

Can you think of a single public figure who avoids all of the above meaningless hackneyed expressions when talking? I really cannot.

If that's all you've got to complain about then you've got it pretty easy mate.
Get off you high-horse and climb down from your ivory tower and see what it's like amongst the rest of us and you'll find that we've far more important things to be worrying about than 'em, ah, eh, like' :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Napper Hawkins

Doesn't bother me how people speak, as long as it's not in Irish.

Ya know, like?