"you know..."
A few weeks ago I transcribed an interview with a local policy maker. If you've never done it, try it. IT is a very "interesting" task and it makes you paying attention to various details of the language a person uses. I was surprised by the amount of times my participants used the phrase "you know".
Since then, i keep on noticing that many people are using it excessively and do not really pay attention to it. Very different people too. Have you ever noticed that? I hear my fellow students using it and today a professor in class also used it all the time. I wonder if i am using it all the time now too, you know...
1 comment:
When used occasionally I think it is a kind of effort to engage with someone you are afraid will think you're elitist, to make a person feel more comfortable with a somewhat complicated concept.
Overused though, it is either the speaker not believing what he's talking about or the listener not engaging or understanding.
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