Alert -- It
has finally taken over! It is no longer just
a weird affectation of Valley Girls, young teen girls, &
insecure twenty-something juvenile women. it can be heard just about everywhere.
It is manifested primarily by women, although
it is infiltrating into the male population as men
weaken further.
The latest it is used by vast numbers of young
girls & women.
It is identified by listening for the following
traits in victims: While speaking with a diminishing loudness,
victims swallow their words into a squeaky, gravelly mix of barely-intelligible
sounds. Often the last words of sentences are
lost. Young girls and women infected with this
lifestyle talk mode sound like very young girls. Men who use
it sound like weenies.
This affectation is the
latest in the series of affectations used by juvenile, insecure
women & men attempting to hide their fears.
The question is, why do they
retreat searching for salvation in child-like voices? Are
they so fearful that they cannot confront their
fears & simply speak normally, thereby communicating somewhat
effectively?
I
have not noticed this phenomenon.
I
have noticed this phenomenon & wonder why they make such silly
sounds.
I
have noticed this phenomenon in women and it is starting to take
over some men's speaking styles.
They
make these little girlie sounds to mask fears they are afraid to
confront.
They
may never mature. Instead they will pick up the next affectation
someday.
Please
read all of the first statement & then select the most appropriate response from the
right-hand column. 1. The term
"back-to-back" is incorrect. It does not describe the situations it is
often meant to describe.start of the second
event.
In our world, the end of the first event is followed by the
start (front) of the next event.
Therefore, the correct term is:
"back-to-front".
I agree. And that's
interesting!
I agree & wish I had
thought about this before.
I disagree.
I don't understand.
I
hate to think about things & I will continue to use the illogical term.
2.
About the "i . . . me
. . . my " lingo. Forget "um", "ya know", and the ever so popular
"like". The latest arrival in the book, The Vocabulary of Jerks &
Non-thinkers , is "I need you to...." Forget the politeness of asking a
coworker, family member, or friend, "Would you please...." Today existence is
all about "i". As so often is the case these days, people display their personal
dirty laundry not just in the T-shirt they are wearing, but in their words. Consider the
"I need you to...." The subject is them, I. Then they state their "need". (Who cares?) Then
'you' are inserted so that the following order is comprehended and -- better be obeyed --
by you. The irony is that most users of this lingo belittle themselves in their e-mails
where they often use the lower case "i" rather than the correct upper case
"I". They belittle themselves just to break another rule of grammar.
I
agree. And that's interesting!
I agree & wish I had
thought about this before.
I
disagree.
I
don't understand.
I hate to
think about things & I will continue to use this phrasing. I work for someone who uses
this rude phrasing.
3. When we speak
in the future tense it is redundant to use the term "going
forward". For example, "I know what the stock market will do going
forward" and "We believe the prospect for
prices going forward is up". This speech pattern is common on TV news. Reporters should
instinctively know better.
Do you make this mistake?
Yes
No
4. Frequent
insertion
of the word 'like' while I am speaking...
Please select all that you agree with.
Enhances
my ability to communicate.
Makes
me sound like silly.
Distracts
from from the subject being talked about.
Makes
me sound like everyone else.
5. Frequent use
of the term 'you know' or 'ya know' while I am speaking...
Please select all that you agree with.
Enhances
my ability to communicate.
Makes
me sound silly.
Distracts
from from the subject being talked about.
Makes
me sound like everyone else.
6. The frequent use of
the term 'you know?' indicates the person talking is insecure and is constantly asking for
the listener's approval.
Agree
Disagree
7. Have you
noticed the frequent us of the term "in fact"?
Yes,
and, in fact, it distracts from the subject. No,
but, in fact, I probably use it too much myself.
8. Have you noticed how
some people end sentences with a raised intonation, or 'up-speak'?
Please select all that you agree with.
Yes,
and I avoid doing it.
I
feel more comfortable when I end many sentences with a raised
intonation.
No,
I haven't noticed that.
Yes.
I think it's primarily a thing insecure women
do .
9. I use up-speak,
insert 'like' in my sentences, and say 'ya know' often.
Like ya, ya know.
Oh
no I don't!
10. Have you
noticed increased use of the phrase, "I need you to...?"
Yes, and it is offensive.
No,
but I need you to be less critical.
11. Have you
noticed a decreased use of the word, "please?"
Yes
No
12. What is the
correct way to spell the word 'nuclear'?
nuclear
13. Why is it
that so many world leaders and reporters mispronounce the word 'nuclear'
often mispronouncing it as 'nucular'???
They don't know no better.
They don't have wives who
care enough to correct them.
They don't have advisors
who know enough to correct them.
They don't really understand
the meaning of the word.
14. The word
'disingenuous' means:
Accurate
Disdain
Not likely
Not candid
I don't know
15. Starting
sentences with the word 'clearly' makes people sound as trite as many TV news reporters.
Agree
Disagree
16.
Which -- if any -- do you wish would vanish from other people's speech patterns?
Please select all that you agree with.
...like...
ya know
...in
fact...
um
I need you to...
going forward
17. TV stations
place the term "pre-recorded" in a corner of the screen to indicate a program is
being re-broadcast. If a program is recorded, it was recorded previously --- when
else could it have been recorded? Therefore to say something is
"pre-recorded" is redundant.
Of course. I have thought of that.
Of course. I never
thought of that.
Wrong, that's not
redundant.
18 . Have you
noticed that women interviewed on TV news shows, in business presentations and general
speech often say "uhm" between sentences and phrases? If you have, uhm, why do they?
Yes
No
