A Verbal Crutch, You Know?

Often without realizing it, millions of people daily use verbal “crutches.” These might be words, phrases, or even sounds that add nothing to the meaning of what is being said. Then why are they used? To reassure the person speaking, to carry him over an awkward moment in the conversation, or they are simply an unconscious habit.

One crutch that has crept into English is the oft-used “You know,” sometimes corrupted to “Y’know.” Writer and broadcaster Edwin Newman asked the question in his book Strictly Speaking, “Can a phrase be repealed? I have in mind Y’know. The prevalence of Y’know is one of the most far-reaching and depressing developments of our time, disfiguring conversation wherever you go. . . . Once it takes its grip, Y’know is hard to throw off. . . . It is not uncommon to hear Y’know used a dozen times in a minute.”

Why is it worth while to pay attention to the quality of our speech? Newman comments: “Direct and precise language, if people could be persuaded to try it, would make conversations more interesting, which is no small thing; it would help to substitute facts for bluster, also no small thing; and it would promote the practice of organized thought and even of occasional silence, which would be an immeasurable blessing.”