Pointless words that litter our language are, like, so unnecessary

June 19, 2026 • Science

Letters: Readers reflect on Louis de Bernières’s dislike of imprecise and redundant speech

Like Louis de Bernières, I too have misosaskopeslexis (what a good word, which he defines as a hatred of pointless words). Various irritating uses of language on Radio 4 also send me bonkers, as does the incessant gabbling (The hill I will die on: I really don’t like ‘like’ – or other imprecise and redundant speech, 13 June). “Like” is dreadful, but so is the grimly common use of “so”, spoken with heavy emphasis at the beginning of a sentence. It grieves me that many of the academics interviewed (surely people who one hopes don’t drop litter out of their cars in country lanes) use it when asked for their opinions by Radio 4 interviewers, making the beginning of a quite ordinary answer sound very portentous. When mentoring a sixth-form student who was applying to Oxford and Cambridge, I found that she constantly used “so” in this way. I pondered mentioning it. To my delight, once she got to know me, she stopped using it. So maybe it is sometimes about just giving a slightly anxious person a pause to think. Dione Johnson Hartley Wintney, Hampshire • I am also annoyed by the pointless insertion of the word “like” into speech and text. Other language changes also bother me, such as the use of “multiple” instead of “many”, the word “super” instead of “very”, the expression “I was sat” instead of “I was sitting”. We don’t say “I was ate my dinner”, so why “sat” in this context? Maybe I am just a grumpy old man (80 years old) who finds it difficult to tolerate the changing fashions in language. Perhaps these affectations will go the way of the 1970s words mentioned in the article. Tony Hill Pensilva, Cornwall • I agree with Louis de Bernières on the use of “like”, except when used in the way that is common in north-east England. For example, “I was going to the pub, like”, which makes Geordies appear to be constantly in search of a simile. Alan Pearson Broadbottom, Greater Manchester • Like Louis de Bernières, I also came across someone who irritated me by their overuse of the word “like” – my father in Yorkshire in the 1950s. Steve Shearsmith Beverley, East Yorkshire • In response to Louis de Bernières, to quote The Dude, “that’s just like, uh, your opinion, man.” Gareth Drake Walthamstow, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

Source: The Guardian