The whole 'Like' debate.

I just read that article from http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2011/09/27/do-you-like-like/
and I find the whole debate quite interesting. The fact that 'like' has entered the English language as a filler is quite weird, I mean, it's only a recent thing... why has it happened? I think it's probably down to youth culture, teenagers being lazy with language (much like myself, sometimes!) It's true that 'like' is often used instead of 'said' - I'd say this only happens among younger speakers, but is becoming increasingly popular. 


Another theory as to why 'like' is being used in a different context is the influence of American English - It's true that the UK is heavily influenced by America, mainly through the media - We, as a nation, watch tons of American television shows, DVDs and subconsciously absorb their culture on a daily basis through the medium of the media, so it's no wonder why their language is having an influence on the English language.

Another example of how American English has influenced our language is the spelling of 'Mum' - In England, it has always been spelt 'mum' but most recently, there has been an increase in the amount of people who spell it as 'mom' -like American English! < Here, I take the prescriptivist view, as I believe that the spelling that we use here is dependent on our pronunciation - we do not say MOM. 


Even the spellcheck doesn't appreciate it.

Features of spoken language:

Birmingham model: 

I  - Initiation.

R - Response.

F  - Feedback.

-Structure.
 -Informality / unplanned. -> Ellipsis, contractions, overlaps, non standard, deixis.
-Non fluency features -> Fillers, false starts, pauses, overlaps / interruptions. 


NVAS - Non Verbal Aspects of speech.


V - Volume
I - Intonation / pitch.
P - Pace.
S - Stress / emphasis.


NVC - Non Verbal Communication.
-Body language.

Polari.

• Language variation dependent on sexuality.
• It's an anti-language.
• Mainly used by homosexuals.
• Originated when homosexuality was illegal.
• Mainly used in London.
• Paul Baker estimates that there are 500 words in the Polari language.
• Polari is largely used by the traveller community and The circus.
• Also known as 'Palare'.
• Mainly used by gay men and the theatre community.
• Used on 'Round the Horne' radio show.
• Form of protection / secrecy. 
• Excluded outsiders.
  
  Examples:
• Bevvy.
• Bitch.
• Camp.
• Batts (shoes.)
• Chicken (young).
• Ecaf (anagram of face).

• Anti-language.
• Socialect (Language used by a certain social group)
• Language showing attitudes and values.
• Morphology (How words change / made up of smaller parts)

Medical.

• Technical slang.
• Professional.
• Formal.
• Unethical / offensive.
• Mainly used orally, emails and informal memos.
• Medical jargon is in decline.

Examples:

• Blood suckers / leeches - meaning taking blood.
• TTFO.
• Disco biscuits - Ecstasy.

Jack-speak (Navy)

• Dialect of Navy.
• Subject of comprehensive dictionaries.
• Long history & culture.
• Used for easy communication.
• Used metaphors.
• Communication without embarassment.
• Military slang.
• Used generally not just on the Navy ships.
  
  Examples:
• Pudding club = pregnant.
• Long shot = little chance of success.
• Brass monkeys.

Coursework Ideas Homework:

Idea 1) The difference in language use dependant on age- it's an interesting investigation because age is something that we all progress through, and perhaps our language use will change in time to come in comparison to future youth? My current ideas on age are that older people tend to converge closer to the RP accent and use more standard English, in comparison to the language use of young people - who often use colloquialisms, and diverge away from RP to express their individualism. Young people tend to like to use slang and ''alternate" words to avoid their conversation being heard and understood by others, whereas older people tell it how it is. Older people tend to talk for a purpose, to get something across, whereas young people often talk for the sake of it, or if they need something, the audience is often people of the same age group, although the attitude taken is different, the older community take what they're saying seriously and use language to get their opinion across, young people tend to take the opposite approach. The subject which is being spoken about will be very different due to the generational gap, the older generation would often talk about: routine, hobbies, shopping, surroundings, weather etc., in contrast to youth, who talk about pop culture, music, friends, events, life situations, love etc.

-Reference face theory, cooperative principle and politeness theory.

Idea 2) The difference between the way in which men and women use language. It's weird to think that language varies dependant on gender, you'd assume that everybody uses the same structure when talking, uses the same linguistic features.. evidently not. I think that women use more fillers when talking (often because they're gossiping) and subject change a lot more, females also are more inclined to use standard English, in comparison to men who are 'lazier' when using language and use more non-standard English, they tend to use less fillers but use hedging a lot more, I'd say that men use deixis more than women in attempt to hide what they're talking about.. but maybe that'll come in during my investigation? Women often use language to communicate whatever they're thinking, whereas men often use language to communicate their needs / desires. The audience could be males or females, probably around the same age. The attitude for women is often optimistic and enthusiastic about what they're saying, men are more passive. The subject varies a lot dependant on gender, as women are more inclined to talk about love, relationships, friends, current affairs, shopping, hobbies etc. Men are more inclined to talk about sports, hobbies, work, computer games etc.