Next time you’re criticized for using the word ‘like’ too many times in a sentence, make sure you mention that you’re setting linguistic trends. Recent studies have shown that the previously frowned upon styles of speech prevalent amongst teenage girls and young women strongly influence the way our culture perceives language.
Using words like ‘like’ frequently in conversation, uptalk (posing all sentences as if they were questions – We’re going out tonight? Wear heels?), and introducing slang terms (perf., whatevs.,) go hand in hand with negative stereotypes about silly teenagers, Valley Girls and dumb blondes.
However, more and more specialists are coming forward with research that shows the way teenage girls talk has an impact on how our entire society speaks. Uptalk for example, once considered a sign of insecurity or stupidity, can be used as a powerful tool. Cynthia McLemore, a linguist at UPenn found that senior sisters in a Texas sorority used uptalk as a way to assert their status to junior members and obligate younger members to complete tasks. What what once considered a sign of silliness can actually translate into a display of dominance or power. According to Carmen Frought, a professor at Pizter College in CA, “The truth is…young women take linguistic features and use them as power tools for building relationships.”
It isn’t a coincidence that young women start these trends in language either. Dr. Mark Liberman, a linguist at UPenn has said that “it’s generally pretty well known that if you identify a sound change in progress, then young people will be leading old people…and women tend to be maybe half a generation ahead of men on average.” Keep this in mind the next you get a funny look or eye-roll for speaking in a “stereotypical way,” remember who is setting the language trends in our society, and talk on.