Like, Totally.

If our linguistic capabilities are representative of higher brain functioning, there is a serious amount of incompetence among University students. I'm talking about the 'like' phenomenon. This word, 'like', has infiltrated the vernacular of young adults so severely that nary a sentence is complete without a multitude of them.

I heard two girls sitting beside me talking about this maladaptive practice, lamenting having to listen to 'teens' in their first year courses. I could relate to their conversation, for the most part. I too would rather listen to nails on a blackboard than a choir of Valley Girls and Surfer Dudes' clucking their nonsense. I could relate until I heard one of them say with her own mouth, referring to the 'teenagers', quote: "I always think, like, I hope I don't sound like that, and stuff."
Next time you have a conversation with a young adult, using your mind's eye write down all of the words that they say. Having a visual accentuates the silliness of this type of speech.

Where did this malady come from? Our society is far from being adverse (from a socio-economic standpoint anyway). Linguistic IQ's most direct influence is environment during acquisition period. University students are, for the most part, the offspring of well-to-do families. For the majority, early environment was a healthy one linguistically. My parents, nor the parents of anybody that I know speak the way young adults do, so where/when does this phenomenon come from? There seems to be a kind of linguistic laziness that is really popular among young adults. It's possible that it came along with the internet, or MTV, or some other coming of age technology, it's tough to say for sure. Either way there seems to have been a generational regression in terms of linguistic IQ.

I do not wish that everyone would speak as if they are reciting a book. Colloquialisms certainly have their place. They lend themselves nicely to fluidity, they save you from sounding condescending, etc. but excess is still excess. 'Like' holds meaning of analogy (in the way young adults use it excessively, anyway). At it's primary function, 'like' is used for similes. The excessive use of 'like', could be translated as the excessive use of simile, which suggests that there is a large amount of uncertainty in daily speech. When 'like' permeates your speech, nothing you say sounds concrete, convincing, or intelligent. Speaking exclusively in similes leaves little room for grounding your purpose of speaking. You cannot build a point on comparisons alone, you have to lay something objective, and if necessary consolidate it with a simile or an example.

It's concerning to observe speech patterns among peers in a University setting, where knowledge is actively sought. Under the banner of education something so seemingly counter-intelligent ought to be looked at, or maybe studied. The very student body that makes up the University demographic exemplifies a discord between reason for being there and the institution itself.