Should We, Like, Run These Letters?

Re “They, Like, Just Can’t Stop Saying That Word,” Commentary, May 5: It’s easy, and maybe even fun, to criticize the rather juvenile habit of lacing conversation with a heavy dose of “like.” But I don’t think that it is always as superfluous as Matt Johanson feels it to be. I do think the unstated purpose of the user is often to avoid making definite statements that he or she could be criticized for.

“Like” can be synonymous with “sort of.” The equally pervasive “you know” also serves to ward off contradiction. The quotation, “It’s, like, impossible,” could be equally well expressed as, “It’s sorta impossible” or “Y’know, it’s impossible” or even “It’s probably impossible.”

Unfortunately, “like” is a habit that gets carried too far, and a broader vocabulary would help. If there is a lesson for the students in speaking habits, it’s not only about the choice of words but also how to cultivate confidence in thought as well as in what is said.

Robert Scott

Los Angeles

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Like, wait a minute, Johanson has, like, missed the true threat. His extragrammatical “like” is about the same as the better established “um” or “well.” A better example of creeping “like”-ness is as a substitute for “said”; e.g., “My father was like, ‘Why are you home so late?’ and I’m like, ‘Yo, I was studying with the guys.’” For the more sophisticated, see also “all”: “I’m all ‘what?’ and he’s all ‘whoa!’ and I’m all like ‘Dude!’” Can you dig it, Mr. Jo?

Robert Levor

Los Angeles