# Can children in California be taught to avoid saying "Like", "He's All", "AndI'mAllLike" ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923 "2014-10-29T17:46:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/21 "2014-10-29T20:12:28Z")
Don’t be ridiculous. You might do some reading on dialect, slang, youth, etc. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/22 "2014-10-29T20:14:00Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You could try relocating to the Deep South. > > That’ll stop him from learning California-isms, but it might produce other side effects. This is the best response from a sociolinguistic point of view. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/23 "2014-10-29T20:15:36Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I think you’re misguided. The kids are just speaking in the vernacular. They need to be able to communicate with their peers as well as in “proper” English. It’s not hard or even uncommon for people to speak slangily as well as “properly.” And this. It’s basically the education system’s official (though not always practiced) position. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/24 "2014-10-29T20:17:06Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I _know_! I’m so, “whatever!” Shaa…! ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/25 "2014-10-29T20:26:59Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > What **Motorgirl** said. It’s not limited to California and it’s not just kids. I’m 36 and practically everyone my age still uses those phrases - maybe not in job interviews or formal situations, but certainly in casual conversation. I’m 44 and had to train myself out of using “like” and “I’m all” and “I go” except in the most casual situations when I’m using it for effect. I’m of the opinion that as long as kids can code-switch and know when it’s appropriate to do so, valspeak is relatively harmless. If, however, you slip into valspeak or upspeak during a professional conversation with me I will judge you and find you wanting. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/26 "2014-10-29T20:27:37Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > I prefer the abbreviated, but equivalent: “So, get this…” Dear Gott in Himmel, I hate that one so much that I blocked it out. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/27 "2014-10-29T20:33:27Z")
> [@Hooleehootoo](#): > > Is the effort to try and stop this way of talking Quixotic, or misguided? Some time in the future, after he gets the septum ring and joins that thrashpunk band you will look back upon these halcyon days and sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/28 "2014-10-29T20:49:41Z")
Be a good language model yourself. They will not always follow your example but that style of speech will become familiar to them, and they will be able to use it when they need to. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/29 "2014-10-29T21:07:23Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > Some time in the future, after he gets the septum ring and joins that thrashpunk band you will look back upon these halcyon days and sigh. “Thrash punk” is actually two words, and is more often and more accurately referred to as “[crossover thrash](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossover_thrash).” To the points raised in the original post, I am 32, never talk like the kids mentioned, and, as far as I know, I never really did. I prize eloquence in others, but this has reached a point where I often find myself irritated by the speech of younger people (and not just younger people, but frequently) especially in loud groups on the bus. They just don’t sound very bright. This sort of thing came up when I was in graduate school, specifically regarding the disdain most of my fellow students seemed to show for the undergrads. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/30 "2014-10-29T21:15:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You could try relocating to the Deep South. > > That’ll stop him from learning California-isms, but it might produce other side effects. I’m all like, “True dat, y’all.” ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/31 "2014-10-29T21:33:57Z")
Use the Ludovico Technique. If they use Californiaisms, immediately dose them with harsh Minnestoaisms: “O that’s aaaah-sum!” ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/32 "2014-10-29T21:39:42Z")
> [@Hooleehootoo](#): > > I dislike the over frequent use of “He’s all”, “I’m going”, etc. Mmhmm. ::nods politely:: That’s nice. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/33 "2014-10-29T21:52:56Z")
Myself and the kids I grew up with in Northern California were all trained out of using “like” and “goes” in formal speech and writing by being repeatedly told that it was incorrect (the substitute phrase we were given was “he said” or “she said”). I still sometimes say like in informal conversation, but definitely learned not to use it in inappropriate contexts. I think you should absolutely teach your child that it’s wrong, and when he’s older you can explain a little bit more about code switching. With cursing, I think you need to explain why it bothers you, and make a rule that it can’t be done in front of you/in your house. Your child will have to decide on his own whether he wants to curse in other locations. My father didn’t allow cursing, and I valued and still value his opinion enough not to do it whether he’s around or not. You’re not going to be able to stop it outside of your own home/presence; that’s something your child will ultimately have to decide for himself. ---
**Author:** ![Itself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/34 "2014-10-29T22:06:12Z")
Speech patterns change between generations. It’s nothing to get indignant about, and the new styles are not inherently lazy or otherwise less deserving. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/35 "2014-10-29T22:39:55Z")
If be pissed if someone tried to brainwash me out of my California-isms. I may be far away, I’ve always got a piece of home just a “hella” away. Seriously, chill. The kid is a Californian. It will speak like one. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/36 "2014-10-29T22:42:44Z")
This thread brought to you from 1977. Those speech patterns are fairly common in Ireland. Bet you get them in other parts of the world where English dun gets spoke. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/37 "2014-10-29T23:44:51Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > It’s really not limited to California. Thank you! I was going to say that. (Actually, I was gonna say that.) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/38 "2014-10-29T23:47:23Z")
Short answer: you can’t. Kids learn from their peers and it is right that they do so since their the ones they are going to have to live with. If my father had learned from his parents, he would have spoken with a heavy Yiddish accent. Just get used to the fact that language change is constant. Go tell the surf to cease; it will have the same effect as always correcting him ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/39 "2014-10-30T00:05:57Z")
My children leaned to be bi-lingual. That is, they spoke like what their mates did at school, but properly (as dictated by me) at home. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923/40 "2014-10-30T00:31:05Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Myself and the kids I grew up with in Northern California were all trained out of using “like” and “goes” in formal speech and writing by being repeatedly told that it was incorrect (the substitute phrase we were given was “he said” or “she said”). I still sometimes say like in informal conversation, but definitely learned not to use it in inappropriate contexts. Once your kids reach that level of fluency, then yourself can work on teaching themselves not to use “myself” as the subject of a sentence. :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-children-in-california-be-taught-to-avoid-saying-like-hes-all-andimalllike/702923.md?page=3)