When, why, how did the word “like” become inserted so frequently into the spoken English language?
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It originally comes from the “Valley Girl Accent” – a accent/speaking style coming from the San Fernando Valley, just north of Los Angeles. The accent dates back to the late 1970s, and was in peak use in that area during the 1980s. Among other things, this style of speaking used “Like” in at least three different ways:
– As a filler, similar to “umm” or “uh”
– As a quotative – “I was like ‘no!'” – meaning, “I said ‘No'”.
– As an approximation – saying something is “like, 6 feet deep” means it’s about 6 feet deep.
Sometimes the second and third uses were combined – saying “He was like, you wanna go out, and I was like, YES!” could stand in for a much longer conversation involving the guy asking speaker out.
Because of the proximity to the California media industry (multiple TV and movie studios are in the San Fernando Valley; and Hollywood is not far away.), Valley culture was often portrayed in movies and TV shows; which resulted in it’s spread.
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