# Verbal tic that's starting to annoy me **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214 "2008-11-11T17:54:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/21 "2008-11-12T16:33:33Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > _How I Met Your Mother_ did a nice riff on this. Dammit. I thought I had made an original discovery. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/22 "2008-11-12T17:16:24Z")
(Posted this before. Apparently got lost.) At least you get two words. I’ve been getting “unyeah” a lot. Is that a “yeah” or a “nah”? And why, oh dear why, after asking 10 times “Did you mean yes or no?” don’t they realize what they’re doing and **stop it**? ---
**Author:** ![metronome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@metronome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metronome)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/23 "2008-11-12T18:04:33Z")
One of my classes is almost entirely presentations. This would be fine, if not for the presenters who smack their tongues against the backs of their teeth to make a “tsk” sound. Most. Annoying. Verbal. Tic. EVER. Females seem to be the only ones who do it, particularly the females who also use a _tsk_ questioning inflection? At the end of every sentence? Like _tsk_ they’re not, um, _tsk_ sure what they’re talking about? I’m not sure why uncertainty and tsk-ing are common among women? But, um, _tsk_ once I hear it, um, _tsk_ I can’t stop hearing it? So, _tsk_ yeah. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/24 "2008-11-12T18:24:34Z")
> [@metronome](#): > > This would be fine, if not for the presenters who smack their tongues against the backs of their teeth to make a “tsk” sound. Oh god. Sarah Palin did this constantly. Argh. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/25 "2008-11-12T18:49:06Z")
Not exactly a verbal tic, but I’ll use this opportunity to share my annoyance: The sentence finishers. Me: “I’m on my way to a party at P…” SF: “Paloma’s house.” Me: “Call me if you n…” SF: “Need me”. Really irks me. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/26 "2008-11-12T18:56:36Z")
I hate when my grandma and mom say “So I says to her…” Even for past tense! It drives me up a wall for some reason. My boyfriend starts a lot of his conversations “So I was gonna say…” out of the blue, which can be a little bothersome. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/27 "2008-11-12T18:58:37Z")
I have a friend who says “Looka” when he wants to show me something. I smirk and make fun of him every time he does, but it doesn’t stop him. ---
**Author:** ![Momofgirls](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/momofgirls/32/21798_2.png) [@Momofgirls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Momofgirls)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/28 "2008-11-12T19:12:01Z")
I first heard “yeah…no” on Friends. It was one of Phoebe’s quirks. I say it sometimes, mostly because it drives my husband nuts. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/29 "2008-11-12T19:32:45Z")
{Phoebe}Oooh-oooh-ooh{/Phoebe} I have another couple of mild annoyance. Declarative sentences spoken as if they are questions. “My name is Andrea.” Spoken tone low to high (I always think,“I dunno - are you really Andrea?”) People who refer to someone I’ve never met by their name without any explanation. I can assume that Peter is your husband, but if he’s your brother then your story takes on a whole new meaning. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/30 "2008-11-12T19:41:50Z")
> [@jali](#): > > Declarative sentences spoken as if they are questions. > “My name is Andrea.” Spoken tone low to high > (I always think,“I dunno - are you really Andrea?”) It probably won’t help you to know that this one has its very own [name](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uptalking). ---
**Author:** ![spockerel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@spockerel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spockerel)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/31 "2008-11-12T19:59:18Z")
What really gets me is “a’ight”. I’m so surprised nobody has mentioned this. It’s actually more work to say “a’ight” than it is to say “all right”. We don’t need a diphthong here! English has enough! Really? This doesn’t drive anyone else nuts? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/32 "2008-11-12T20:11:00Z")
> [@spockerel](#): > > This doesn’t drive anyone else nuts? Yeah, no, that one, ya know, bothers me, too? ---
**Author:** ![spockerel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@spockerel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spockerel)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/33 "2008-11-12T20:18:01Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Yeah, no, that one, ya know, bothers me, too? This answer seems questionable. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/34 "2008-11-12T20:25:06Z")
> [@Helena](#): > > I am bothered by the double “is.” > > “My point is, is that…” > “What I want to know is, is what…” > > My brother mentioned the phenomenon once and I haven’t been able to ignore it since. Curses. A friend of mine got on a kick about “do do” As in, “No, don’t do that, I’ve tried it and it’s bullocks. But what you _do_ do is --” “Heh-heh…you said do do.” Of course, it was catching. You’d never believe how often people double up words that don’t really need to be doubled. Or, rather, you will, 'cause now you’ll be plagued by noticing it, too. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/35 "2008-11-12T20:36:00Z")
> [@spockerel](#): > > What really gets me is “a’ight”. I think we can blame Randy Jackson (American Idol judge) for this. He probably didn’t invent it, but what the hell. Let’s get the tar and feathers. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/36 "2008-11-12T20:43:05Z")
> [@jali](#): > > {Phoebe}Oooh-oooh-ooh{/Phoebe} I have another couple of mild annoyance. > > Declarative sentences spoken as if they are questions. > “My name is Andrea.” Spoken tone low to high > (I always think,“I dunno - are you really Andrea?”) I hear this a lot out of people from Southern California. Never heard anyone from anywhere else do it. I agree it’s weird. My cousin was really bad about it when we were kids to the point that it caused communication issues. > [@jsc1953](#): > > I think we can blame Randy Jackson (American Idol judge) for this. He probably didn’t invent it, but what the hell. Let’s get the tar and feathers. It was definitely popular long before Randy Jackson. One of those redneck comedians (Jeff Foxworthy, maybe?) had a routine back in the early/mid-90s where he said “y’a’n’t to?” “aaiight”. People at my high school said it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/37 "2008-11-12T20:45:10Z")
If you think having one or two verbal tics that you can’t escape is awful, don’t ever take a course in public speaking. I was required to take one for the place where I work, and my life has been a waking aural nightmare ever since. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/38 "2008-11-12T20:48:01Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > It was definitely popular long before Randy Jackson. One of those redneck comedians (Jeff Foxworthy, maybe?) had a routine back in the early/mid-90s where he said “y’a’n’t to?” “aaiight”. People at my high school said it all the time. It was the four-word Texas lunchtime conversation: “Jeetyet?” _“Naw.”_ “Ya’awntu?” _“A’ight.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/39 "2008-11-12T20:49:57Z")
> [@Headrush042](#): > > If you think having one or two verbal tics that you can’t escape is awful, don’t ever take a course in public speaking. > > I was required to take one for the place where I work, and my life has been a waking aural nightmare ever since. What??! Did your teacher berate you for them or something? Sounds like an awful public speaking teacher if so. And some “verbal tics” (still not sure if that’s the correct term here :dubious:) are ok in public speaking, anyway. We all do them and they sound very human. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214/40 "2008-11-12T20:52:00Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > What??! Did your teacher berate you for them or something? Sounds like an awful public speaking teacher if so. And some “verbal tics” (still not sure if that’s the correct term here :dubious:) are ok in public speaking, anyway. We all do them and they sound very human. No, it’s just that ever since that class, I can’t help but pick up on them, whereas before, they just sort of blended in with regular speech. And some (many) are much less human sounding than others 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-tic-thats-starting-to-annoy-me/472214.md?page=3)