etymology - Why do like loads of girls my age like saying "like" so much, like?





Is Valley Girl speak like entering the language?



Please can you explain the origins of where the annoying over-use of the word "like" came from?


Does this have anything to do with Facebook?


Example:



Logan is so, like, stupid when he says, like, anything!
He's like, he's like an idiot or something. I don't think I like him anymore, like.




Answer



The usage of like as a random interjection/hedge/quotative particle is older than most of the girls who are using it nowadays. It certainly predates Facebook by several decades. It's one of the defining characteristics of "valley girl" speech, which originated in California (specifically, the vast tract of suburbia known collectively as the San Fernando Valley) in the 1970's.


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