Don't you love when people write or speak, and they include certain extra phrases that we are all probably better off without, per se. And I am just as guilty as the next guy. There's a word for these commonly used phrases, but for some reason I can't remember it. Help me out!
Anyway, Lets start a list of these phrases. Here are a few of my favourites, in no particular order:
If you will per se in no particular order that's what i heard no offense but just kidding so they say in lieu of if i may not that there's anything wrong with that (Seinfeld does a great lampoon of this one) But seriously folks, if you will for the life of me not for nothing ...
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
First and foremost!
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
hey! i consider myself something of an apprentice wordsmith and those are all very important phrases. especially "in lieu of." very important. if i had to say that a particular oft repeated phrase was unnecessary, i would say it is "in my opinion." because, if i'm saying it, i think it should be obvious that it is my opinion, but that is just my opinion.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I hate it when people pepper their speech with "call 911! Call 911!" It's like a verbal tic with some people.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
heh heh, you just made me think of a very funny, very, very off topic, very crass horoscope from theoion.com. here goes: "stop screaming "RAPE! RAPE!" all the time. i mean, it's obvious to everyone that's what your doing." sorry if anyone is offended.
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
I like totally like hate it, like, when, like, people, like, use, like, the, like, word, like, like, like, every, like, other, like, word.
Do you know what I mean? (there's another one!)
ya know
Posted by Hari Seldon (Member # 9254) on :
Don't get me started don't go there keep it on the down low ya know what i mean?
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
quote:Originally posted by BandoCommando: I like totally like hate it, like, when, like, people, like, use, like, the, like, word, like, like, like, every, like, other, like, word.
Do you know what I mean? (there's another one!)
ya know
I did that on a a slide on a Powerpoint I had to give in my Geography class. It was cleary intentional and making a mockery of common American slang. But the teacher, I guess, didn't get it and took off points. I was rather upset about that, to be sure.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Presentations in geography class are usually not the appropriate place for that kind of social commentary.
Furthermore, almost none of these examples are actually examples of redundancy.
Posted by Celaeno (Member # 8562) on :
"It seems to me..."
My philosophy professor couldn't get off it. We used to keep track, and he said it at least fifteen times in every hour long period.
(And now I'm guilty of it.)
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
quote:Furthermore, almost none of these examples are actually examples of redundancy.
Oddly enough, this thread has very little to do with redundancy. A better title might be "Superfluous speech, if you will."
I'm ever so tired of people using the phrase, "I'm real."
"I don't play it like that! I'm real, dawg."
It makes me want to stare blankly at the offending party, then shake them while exclaiming joyously, "Yes! You are, Pinocchio! You are a real boy!"
Posted by Irregardless (Member # 8529) on :
I agree with vonk that some of your examples are perfectly good figures of speech, particularly 'in lieu of.'
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
My only problem with "per se" is people who don't know what it means using it erroneously. Most of these don't bother me when used correctly.
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
What's wrong with "in no particular order?"
You can't say NO order, because it clearly is.
Posted by Celaeno (Member # 8562) on :
Certainly some of these are redundant by nature; e.g., "in my opinion" and "it seems to me" are redundant because the listener assumes that even without those phrases.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Not always.
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
I'm with those who (a) would choose "superfluous" over "redundant," and (b) believe that the phrases aren't superfluous in all situations. Rather, they tend to be used improperly more often than not, so they become tedious.
Including "if you will" on the list twice was kinda redundant, though.
--Pop
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
I love it when a math or philosophy text will just hit you with a "clearly, blah blah blah..." If it's clear, then it doesn't need to be said - if it's not clear, then you ought to explain how you got there.
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
Sometimes, things are opaquely so.
Posted by genius00345 (Member # 8206) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hari Seldon: There's a word for these commonly used phrases, but for some reason I can't remember it. Help me out!
I guess they're sort of really common cliches. Is that the word you were looking for?
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
I have recently sat through an 8 hour (two half days) presentation by a man with a couple of quite noticable verbal tics.
I'm always afraid I'll get "infected" by one of them.
I think these things are content-free filler and creep into people's speech when they have learned to avoid using "um" or "er." It's just the brain take a mid-sentence break and forgetting to tell the mouth to stop moving.
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
Redundancy: "Well, the thing is, is that...
Posted by cheiros do ender (Member # 8849) on :
"If I was reading you correctly..."
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
Hm... Since I do Speech and Debate for our school, I've seen quite a few of them. My example aren't exactly redundancy in repeating themselves, but they are things that are said far too often.
The ones I see quite often are...
"See what I mean?"(innocent) " ...I mean, if you look at..." (guilty) "y'know?" (innocent) "As opposed to"(Guilty) "However, we must first look at"(guilty)
A pet peeve of mine that I recently started to have is when people use literally improperly.
For example, if one was to say that "After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia literally exploded" (I heard in a speech)
No, they didn't literally explode. There was no great bomb that wiped Russia off the map.
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
This is slightly off-topic, but any of the euphenisms used in political sound bites these days grates on my nerves like you wouldn't believe:
"We've got a peacekeeping task force" (actually contains an oxymoron!) "Insurgents were pacified..."
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
The one that makes me grind my teeth is "at the end of the day,..."
It was bad enough when ordinary people used it, but in recent years politicians started peppering their speech with it in lame attempts at appearing folksy. Posted by akhockey (Member # 8394) on :
Here's an actual example of each and every redundancy the general public uses on a regular routine.
Posted by Hari Seldon (Member # 9254) on :
Hey Jon Boy - lighten up... I knew redundancy was the wrong word - what I meant was, and it finally jumped off the tip of my tongue after being stuck there all day, was CLICHE, sorry to be so redundant
Posted by Hari Seldon (Member # 9254) on :
OH! I just remembered a few new Buzz Cliches
Ramped up Racheted up
Where did these come from, and why are they being used by politicians - are they trying to sound street?
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
This is slightly off topic, so appologies - but I hate it when people refer to birthday in txt speak, out loud, as 'b-day'.
As in 'So, did you have fun on your b-day?'. It gives me a strange and disturbing mental image. Posted by Hari Seldon (Member # 9254) on :
sorry to reply AGAIN, but I just thought of one of my favorite cliches. Its easier to think of them if you just start typing, because you find they just start rolling off your tongue (there's one). Where would I be without my trusty cliches? Probably up a creek without a paddle. Now, was that a cliche or a euphemism? I never can tell, I guess its a fine line (oops another one). But I digress (see, i just used my favorite one there - isn't that something (another one)). I guess i'm the pot calling the kettle black aren't I?
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
i say "like nobodies business" all the time. if it were really nobodies business, i suppose i wouldn't have said it.
Posted by Hari Seldon (Member # 9254) on :
speaking of birthdays, don't you hate it when someone wishes you a happy birthday, and out of habit, or ritual, or laziness or thought you say it back to them as a greeting. Oh that is so embarassing... wait, i'm the only one who does that? oops, now that is really embarassing...
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Hey, wordsmiths, mayhaps you should consider capitalization and punctuation before you start criticizing the way people write/speak.
Posted by Hari Seldon (Member # 9254) on :
HmMmm, maYhaPs me SHould.!?
Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :
"that" My freshman english prof.'s petpeeve was when people threw "that" into sentences where it is not needed. Of course I can't think of any examples now, but ever since then I have caught myself doing it all the time.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
i'm not sure about anyone else, but i was only criticizing the way that i speak. and i use excellent punctuation thank you, and i don't feel the need to use capitalizaton, as you can understand perfectly what i'm saying without it. so thpbtpbtpbtpbt. Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
"Lighten up."
Any time anyone tells me to lighten up, I just feel like hitting them. It's so condescending.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
quote:Originally posted by vonk: i'm not sure about anyone else, but i was only criticizing the way that i speak. and i use excellent punctuation thank you, and i don't feel the need to use capitalizaton, as you can understand perfectly what i'm saying without it. so thpbtpbtpbtpbt.
I may be able to understand you, but I'm going to dismiss your opinions as idiotic because you, apparently, do not have the ability to capitalize the first word of a sentence.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
ok, buddy, that was a little harsh. but do what you want, i'll still feel pretty good about myself. have a nice day!
Posted by Hari Seldon (Member # 9254) on :
Primal, you do realize that this whole thread was meant to be light hearted right? It was an attempt to poke fun at the cliches that we all fall back on, if you will.
Posted by Roseauthor (Member # 148) on :
Cliche's do not bother me as much as verbosity!
Have a friend who talks a lot and says ABSOLUTELY nothing! How many ways do I need to hear how what chemical binds with what for the uptake in the human body, thus creating a XXXX if you balance the XXXX and then your body does XXXX and the infection is gone. (this is actually a 1 hour speech of how the drug works in the body)
Then I have the the redundancies from her in the middle of the speeches.
I'd like really like the 'like' more than rambling on and on .. and on... about nothing in redundancy.
LOL..
BTW: my terrible habit in speech is I say "ya know?" at the end of sentences. (I really need to stop this@!$#$!)
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hari Seldon: Hey Jon Boy - lighten up... I knew redundancy was the wrong word - what I meant was, and it finally jumped off the tip of my tongue after being stuck there all day, was CLICHE, sorry to be so redundant
Seems a bit ironic to use the wrong word to criticize thoughtless speech.
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