The Real Reason We Say 'Like’

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Faultline is produced by:
Executive Producer/Story Editor/Host: Andy Burgess
Story/Research: Jennifer Landrey
Senior Producer: Anjali Sharma
Editors: Andy Burgess & Luke Wines
Consultants: Dr Carla Hudson, Tosan Fregene, Stephen Kamlish KC & Doug Ellin
Special thanks to everyone who reached out to be in this video and for those who spoke to us.
Additional Footage from Storyblocks & Archive.org
Archive Maps from David Rumsey
Music from Musicbed // fm.pxf.io/c/2423499/1347628/1...
Sources 🔗
daily.jstor.org/filler-words-...
www.britannica.com/biography/...
hbr.org/2019/08/why-filler-wo...
hbr.org/tip/2019/09/is-it-ok-...
/ what-filler-words-how-...
• Why do we, like, hesit...
www.theatlantic.com/science/a...
link.springer.com/article/10....
prism.ucalgary.ca/server/api/...
www.independent.co.uk/life-st...
• 5 Easy Japanese Filler...
www.theguardian.com/education...
• 91. Um, like, so: How ...
www.theguardian.com/science/2...
dailyfreepress.com/2021/04/13...
time.com/5592953/use-like-too...
Time Stamps:
0:00: Why do we say 'Umm'?
1:00: Subscribers discuss Filler Words across the world
1:48: Andy's plan to remove Filler words from his speech
2:36: The history of Fillers
5:13: The stigma around Filler Words
7:30: Reacting to old public speaking events Cringe
9:30: Is it really bad to say 'Like' & 'Umm'?
10:42: The purpose of Filler Words
11:28: Andy's dating advice
12:04: How to deliver bad news to your Boss
12:31: How Filler Words differ between cultures & languages
16:02: The reality of tracking filler words for a month
18:14: Can Andy hold a conversation without using fillers?
20:58: Conclusion (Can you tell I've had a cold for the past month 🤧)
#um #like #fillerwords

[@Faultlinevideos]

Thanks for watching! I'd love to know which filler words you use most? Let us know in the replies. - Andy

[@speculationsperceived]

For me, it's "like", "uhm" and then distantly "you know". Great vid, though!

[@printdivisionafrica469]

"okay,so..."

[@hannalowenherz4839]

I will investigate 😅

[@thespanishinquisiton8306]

I would argue that like in "I've been using this app for like a month" at around 19:15 isn't a filler word, because it conveys the approximate nature of the time period. You could replace it with "around" and the sentence would make sense.

[@Homer-OJ-Simpson]

Ha! I was going to say the same! I try not to use like in that way because it seems like my vocabulary is limited but it’s not a filler word.

[@happy_biird]

Thanks Andy for including the inputs of a bunch of your subscribers in the video. Heartfelt thanks and appreciate it ❤

[@fireskorpion396]

I actually hadn't heard the idea that it also makes oneself sound more natural, usually everyone wants to cut them out! Thanks for the video! Not quite sure why this video and the 2 more recent ones weren't recommended to me because I really do love watching your videos.

[@punchpineapple]

It seems as though the process oversensitises you to words, too. In that final interview, you corrected yourself for using "like" when you were actually using it in a simile instead of as a filler. And the app seemed to make you self conscious of using "just" when you were using it functionally, to mean either "only" or "a moment ago." I think your conclusion that "it doesn't really matter" jives with many of us. Great video.

[@Ghee_Buttersnaps]

_Uhh..._ I just found this channel and I'm early _umm..._ I'm really digging it... 💙

[@tumorra951]

I find myself struggling when hanging out with a friend that I haven't seen in a while. I think its due to a lack of practice communicating regularly. I'll trail off or forget to complete a thought and maybe its due to having less in person conversations or phone calls. I notice it in them too. Hmm.

[@Abhi-wn7sw]

'Ji' in Hindi is actually not a filler word. It means and is used for 'Yes'.

[@nonexistent5645]

The meaning and use of 'Ji' is not limited to Yes. For example when 'Ji' is placed at the end of a person's name, it is placed there to mark our respect for that person. Similarly in some circumstances 'Ji' is used as a filler word.

[@WalterBurton]

Great example of over-thinking. Great example of the self-perpetuating anxiety cycles so many young people seem to get caught in these days.

[@infernalstan886]

Do you mean the video or using "like" as a filter weird?

[@WalterBurton]

@@infernalstan886 : The video. Squeezing 20 minutes of hyperactive ruminating out of the over-use of filLer words. It's a wonder y'all don't all stroke-out before you're 25.

[@kidwithaphonecamera]

okay mammonth

[@johnfinance8053]

@@WalterBurton Its a wonder you found your way onto this platform your fossil

[@lucaschahuneau7612]

Amazing video Andy! Really appreciate the quantity and quality of guests you brought in on this one - Mrs. Andy being my favorite 😄

[@NuckerIThink]

Another great video! The camera shots are all incredible, the editing is always on point, and the story was really gripping. Keep up the great work, you're quickly becoming my favourite KZbinr :)

[@louisderfert9484]

Hey, nice video :) what is your opinion on youtube endcards? I often play my YT videos out of a playlist, and when I finish a video, I like to maybe read the description or some of the comments, but if the video ends immediately after the last sentence, my player jumps to the next video in my playlist and I manually have to go back to restart the previous video. An endcard normally gives me the time to pause it without trying to land on the last syllable :)

[@jonathankelly5208]

Great video, really liked this one 👌

[@ItsVasl]

so underrated man!

[@matthewlynch9331]

This was a fascinating topic

[@fireskorpion396]

I hope you are doing alright financially... You've make some banger videos and its unfortunate that some don't do so well :/ I watch everything you upload because of how diverse the topics are with you presenting them all really well Anyway, please keep making videos, I'm sure the algorithm will pick up your videos again!!!

[@pikapomelo]

I'd guess when I notice other people using these words, it's only just when I first get to know them. Then I don't notice. I had similar hangups with things like audio delay when using headphones and the punch hole from the phone over video. It is extremely distracting, but if I just go with it, my brain adjusts.

[@davesprivatelounge]

Billy Shakes at it again lmao

[@dogglebird4430]

Filler words and phrases (yes, they exist) change with generations. I'm older and so I don't use "like" except as a verb "I like dogs" or preposition "hold it like this". I do use "sort of: quite a lot, though because it's sort of useful. Another older expression that is used as a filler is "you know", which can be hugely irritating, along with the equally meaningless "in fact" and even "in actual fact". The strangest one I have come across is older women from Zealand (eastern Denmark) used to have a tendency so vocalise an in-breath between utterances, but that seems to have died down. I am a retired university linguist, by the way.

[@kildareire]

Small responses to someone else speaking are actually ‘feedback,’ not filler words. Even if some of the words are the same. Using these words as feedback play a different role. But well done on a good video. 👍👍

[@ZzedZed]

mr and miss "LIKE" need shock collars.

[@MatthewJBD]

Train yourself to replace uhhh and um with silence

[@pablogl9z]

Didn’t know “basically” was a filler word. In Canada and much of the US, a common word is “literally”. I suppose “basically” is the “literally” of the UK

[@timothytumusiime2903]

My language's filler words also double as insults We be that 🤷 It depends on the context. Making a speech in your job or university or (sometimes) speaking to your social higher ups be they bosses, teachers or the elderly you visit rarely. I try to limit the filler words. Not all the time though. Speaking to a higher up, filler words that make one sound hesitant may actually be the goal you strive for to be more personable. Of course, i never censor myself amongst friends and close family

[@lynx3845]

What language? Cuz that sound intriguing.

[@AJGress]

​@@lynx3845I'm curious too

[@Unc3]

a slavic langauge im guessing

[@jtgd]

I use it to fill up time

[@nihongohiroko-coursdejaponais]

Interesting. Japanese has a lot of filler words as well, but one of the people in the video is talking about is actually not the filler word. It's the response from the listeners. We need to say "Hai" or "Eh" while listening to others in the business. In casual conversation, we react "un." So it works as a nodding to show the speaker that we are listening. It's better not to add too many filler words in the formal speech in Japan, either. In the casual conversation, it's not a big problem.

[@Alex-ii9sp]

I love this channel but what does this have to do with geography?

[@woltews]

Like - non-specific quotation or statement of fact, ie " I have used this for like 3 months " instead of " I have used this for 87 days 3 hours 27 minutes 14 seconds " um / ah - confirmation of recite ie " so I tried the chain rule but um " = do I need to explain how I used the chain rule to you with a confirmation by the listener of "ah" meaning that yes they understand how the chain rule would be used in this situation

[@clivematthews95]

I think they’re both useful and a sign of weakness, it’s all about context. It’s about not overusing and over relying on them, I feel like that can stunt your vocabulary. I love English too much, to need a crutch, but that’s just my opinion 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@Fenriswaffle]

I feel that any place or role that is critical of filler words in general is trying to resist being human for dubious reasons. Are there scenarios where concise efficient and exact language is useful or necessary? Yes, but those are so often the 1% of your time spent talking that the skill can be useful but not as a habit.

[@DebateDispatch]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6bFiJ-ghbGEZtE

[@sh4rkface0]

Hey i’m in this video!

[@SmilingSimian]

Four separate in-video product ads makes me think this whole vid was just filler for them.

[@bbd121]

Why are the views here so low?

[@afr11235]

The sort of people who think filler words are always bad are the same pedants who believe ending a sentence with a preposition should be a criminal offense. You do not sound like a native speaker without pacing your conversations with filler words.

[@jtgd]

What if filler words are used because someone’s naturally bad at communicating?

[@stijill]

WTF is the app your using

[@tj2375]

In professional contexts, they are usually to avoid. In causal conversation its all right but use with care because people that rely on filler words too much can come across as really annoying or very dumb.

[@cazbrian6]

It really gets on my nerves when people keep starting their sentences with the word :'So'

[@straitJacketFashion]

The barrister has just subtracted the filler words from his speech, leaving noticeable pauses (not a criticism, it’s what I aim for).

[@lexxlars5762]

I watched just one episode of love island and it was absolutely insufferable to listen to , the amount of likes in every sentence was ridiculous. Another one is ; You Know . Meh