Modern Wisdom #630 - Valerie Fridland - Why Is Everyone Saying ‘Like’ and ‘Um’ All The Time?
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May 20, 2023 Valerie Fridland, a sociolinguist and Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada, delves into the intriguing world of language. She discusses the common use of filler words like 'like' and 'um,' their social implications, and how they affect communication dynamics. Valerie also explains how social media shapes language trends, revealing why Black Twitter sets the stage for new slang. Plus, she shares the fascinating history of the word ‘Hello’ and the complexities of language evolution, highlighting how social identity influences speech patterns.
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Language Change Drivers
- Languages change due to cognitive and articulatory pressures, like simplifying consonant clusters.
- Social identity influences which pressures we succumb to, leading to dialect variation.
Language Simplification
- Languages with many speakers, especially non-native ones, tend to simplify over time.
- This is because complex patterns are harder for adults to learn, leading to atrophy.
Universal Filled Pauses
- Filled pauses like "um" and "uh" are universal across languages, though they vary slightly.
- They're debated as words but function as utterances, differing by vowel sounds.
