Grammar Girl here. I'm In Yon Fogarty, your friendly guide to the English language. We talk about

writing, history, rules, and other cool stuff. Today, we'll look at the new way people are using the

phrase, I mean, and then we'll look at how dropping words from sentences can actually make us feel more

connected. This next segment is by Valerie Friedland. Maybe it's not surprising that inviting people

to reconsider the merits of things they don't like about the way other people talk would

generate a little controversy.

After all, we are nothing, if not wedded, to our firm beliefs about linguistic correctness.

Yet, as a linguist who studies the history and evolution of speech habits, even I was surprised

by the number of people who get riled up by what appears to be a recent uptick

in the use of the phrase, I mean, to start off sentences.

I mean, one would think it was linguistic Armageddon, given the irritation it provokes.

I mean is part of a larger class of words and phrases in English that linguists call

discourse markers. These are words or short phrases that don't contribute directly to the meaning

of a sentence. For example, they don't carry concrete meanings the same way nouns and verbs do,

like cookie and munch. Instead, they contribute what

linguists call pragmatic or attitudinal information. In short, vibes. In other words,

you can remove discourse markers without making big changes to the literal meaning of the sentence.

So I can say,

I got a new job. Or I can say, oh, I got a new job. And both sentences convey the same literal meaning that the speaker is now employed somewhere. But the discourse marker, oh, adds nuance, that this is new information and requires a shift

in topic or awareness. For example, it's something the speaker just remembered. Discourse markers do

many things in conversations, but they are all important for communicating, especially in spoken

conversation.

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