I’ve noticed a trend, and it’s been around a few years. Mostly I hear it on the radio, but there are people at work who also use one word an alarming amount of times in any given paragraph. The word? It’s “right.” Repeated over and over.
Now, I don’t mind hearing it sparsely in a conversation. Sometimes it’s put to good use, emphasizing a valid point. That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s the overuse that bothers me. Let me show you what I mean:
Now, I don’t mind hearing it sparsely in a conversation, right? Sometimes it’s put to good use, emphasizing a valid point, right? That’s not what I’m talking about, right? It’s the overuse that bothers me, right?
You get my point.
I tried to think what word it’s replacing as the one that’s overused most in society. Remember when “like” was repeated over and over? The two words are used differently, but I think both are akin to nervous tics. Another word that fits the bill? It’s “um.” Okay, we’ll maybe never get rid of that last one. Toastmasters graduates aside.
I sought an expert opinion on this. I looked up articles written by linguists, but they were mostly more esoteric. I found strings of thought on Reddit (I don’t know what the correct word is for Reddit–is it strings?), but they weren’t helpful. Just people griping about how annoyed they were by “right.”
Other overused words? “Basically” or “literally.” A co-worker of mine uses “literally” to punctuate nearly every thought. I’m sure she knows the actual meaning, but that doesn’t stop her from driving me batty with her conversational choice.
We all have our favorite words. One of mine is “hopefully.” I’m trying to stop using it so much, but it’s darn convenient!
Hopefully I can break that habit, right?
Image Credits: People Talking (header) © Oksana–stock.adobe.com; Girl talking © Dzianis Vasilyeu–stock.adobe.com
My World With Words 
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