Year's Most Annoying Words

Like, ya know, I'm just saying, obviously...whatever! Are you still there, or do my bad English usage scare you away? You see those words and phrases in that opening sentence have been chosen by a poll of 1173 adults in Marist University's annual "Most Annoying Words" of the year as this years five winners. I can argue because when I hear them spoken or written each of the five does make me doubt civilization can survive.

The word "whatever" once again topped the list, the fifth straight year it won. When someone looks at you with an exasperated glance and utters "whatever' to your query it makes one think of murdering the speaker rather than the option of remedial English classes. Thirty eight percent of those polled in the Marist poll said that they hate the word. It's a put-down to some extent and it can signal to the other person that what they are saying is not important.

Chosen as the second most annoying word this year was "you know" at 18 percent. I don't know about you, but there are to language cues for me that indicate the person I am speaking with or listening too is, uh...stupid. Ok, I'll be nice and substitute the words "not literate" or "uneducated" for "stupid". Those two would be obsessive profanity and the mindless repetition of idiotic , trendy vocabulary. "Like" do you understand me? Just kidding. I don't even want to see "like" at Face book. I hold a low opinion of that social media web site for asking me to "like" something.

Many annoying words come from the word of politics, courtesy of the media that reports on politicians.  In the same survey, Marist pollsters wanted to know what political word or phrase Americans would like to see disappear in 2014. "Obamacare" was mentioned by 41 per cent of respondents as a word they do not want to hear next year. Actually, for get purging that word.  I would be even happier if Obama himself would disappear from sight.

Although not yet as annoying as the Marist words, the Oxford Dictionary recently proclaimed “selfie”(when a person takes a picture of him or her self with their cell phone camera) as its word of the year. Obviously, the mention of the digital-self portrait does make some cringe, but, you know "whatever". It does remind me that we humans seem to dislike words by category as much as by the individual word. In my case, my hate of most things technological makes me most hate those cutsie tech words that are hurled in my face each day.

On if them, "tweeting", might be the most offensive to me. Put I could make a list of offensive words, the ones that society used to call "Geek Talk", but which is now adopted as mainstream language by the many millions of tech addicted zombies out there. Not only do I have to hear idiots chattering incessantly about nothing on their cell phones, but they actually dare to ask me if I like their new "cell". My imaginary reply would be to say, "I'd love to see it up your a--.  I didn't complete the last word because of my rant about hating people who use profanity. So use your imagination instead.

Sigh.. I think that.if our language usage is the avenue to our minds and souls we are headed for a dead end street.