Here are my thoughts on some of the common verbal tics I highlighted in this recent post:
Now…
Now is the most powerful word on the above list – like a sharp elbow into the ribs of your conversation partner. A well-placed ‘now’ at the start of a sentence asserts almost full control of the ensuing moment, whether it is the continuation of the thought or merely an extended pause.
It’s interesting, because…
I see this expression commonly introduce opinions that are essentially being formed as the speaker talks. It buys time during a rambling explanation since ‘because’ suggests an explanation is always just around the corner.
I mean…
I’m of two minds here. It is likely the most common one on the list these days – it seems I can’t go five sentences anymore without someone actually meaning whatever they are about to say. ‘I mean’ seems to have a two-fold purpose: it denotes a tentative or in-progress thought while also inviting the listener to increase the pace of the back-and-forth in a conversation.
Like…
In evolutionary terms, ‘like’ is the predecessor to ‘I mean’ – they both signal that a speaker is wading into uncertain territory while also cranking up the pace of the conversation. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn ‘I mean’ came about purely to overcome some of the ditzy connotations associated with ‘like’.
You know…
This usually comes as a point is being wrapped up instead of introduced. A speaker who realizes that a line of thinking or the direction of conversation is reaching an open-ended point might start to lean on ‘you know’ with increasing frequency. Instead of asserting control in the way ‘now’ does, ‘you know’ actually gives away power in a conversation and invites someone else to take control of the next moment.
Right?
Those unimpressed by my non-committal stances on the tics above will be pleased to know that ‘right’ is my least favorite expression on the list. In fact, it’s the only one I dislike and I try to avoid using it whenever possible. It appears a favorite of those who expect all to agree with their every thought and I often find myself thinking 'no' each time I hear someone bark out 'right' in the general vicinity of my ears. I seem to run into it in business settings more so than in casual conversation.
When someone says right too often – either multiple times in a sentence, right, or to punctuate every thought, right, I start to wonder if I’m in a conversation, right, or being sold a used car, right, like I’m being asked to agree with something, right, that I don’t agree with, right, usually because I think it is untrue, right, right being similar to ‘you know’, right, but a little more assertive, right, if ‘you know’ is the equivalent, right, of asking permission to cut in line, right, then, right, right, is like honking the horn, right, at a pedestrian, right, while running a red light, right, right?
Well, maybe not, right?
