'Whatever' tops list of annoying slang
Last Updated: Thursday, October 8, 2009 | 5:03 PM ET
CBC News
The popular term "whatever" topped a list of five most annoying phrases, easily beating "you know," according to a poll by New York.-based Marist College.
The survey found that 47 per cent of Americans were highly annoyed by the slacker term, followed by 25 per cent who were most peeved at "you know."
Other annoying contenders were "it is what it is," with 11 per cent and "anyway," with seven per cent.
If you're not familiar with the phrase "it is what it is," (except from American TV) then there's a good chance you're Canadian.
That's because the two nations do have different slang, even in an era of Tweeting, texting and Facebooking, according to David Stover, president of the Oxford University Press Canada.
Thanks to the internet and the rise of social media, the English language is in a time of terrific change, with texting terms making it into daily conversation, at least among the younger crowd, he said.
The term "emo", is an example, said Stover. Emo is short for emotional in the texting world, but more and more it's making its way into spoken conversation.
But who knows how long it will last. Like the old saying, the bigger they are the harder they fall, the faster a slang term rises the quicker it seems to die, said Stover.
"What lexicographers have found in regard to slang — because of Twitter and Facebook — is that slang tends to bubble up even more quickly, but they last like mayflies. They disappear even faster," said Stover.
So far, annoying terms like "whatever," "like," and even "bootylicious," seem to be here for the long term, said Stover.
"Bootylicious has been around for a while, since 1992. And it's not going away any time soon," he said.
"Human beings are very creative. We tend not to just speak a language, but also play with a language," said Stover.
And besides leaders in popular culture, who are the great producers of new slang?
"Teenaged girls are among the most creative users," said Stover.
Asked why that is, Stover, the father of a teen daughter, joked that a psychologist might better answer the question, but added in all seriousness that it's because teen girls do a lot of talking with each other.
Stover says slang can be annoying but as a language lover, he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Annoyance is in the ear of the beholder," he said. "Repetition can make a phrase annoying but it also makes for a liveliness in everyday life. And you always have the option — if it's annoying just ignore it."
The Marist College poll surveyed 938 U.S. adults.
The five choices of phrases were chosen by people at the poll discussing what popular words and phrases might be considered especially annoying, said college spokeswoman Mary Azzoli.
with files from The Associated Press
