Ya Wanna Know Sumpthin?
By Edward Raymond
September 2007
I often wonder how many of us are turned off by this non-question that friends or acquaintances use to begin their part of a conversation. More to the point, how many of us even notice it! It is one of the nonsensical Americanisms that occur in everyday conversation; but are never encountered in formal documents or oratory.
That useless remark joins the sorry group of other insults to our intelligence such as:
Ya want me ta tell ya sumpthin?
I’m gonna tell ya sumpthin!
Ya know what I mean?
Ya unnerstand what I’m sayin”?
See?
Get me?
Right?
I frequently find that this form of locution is identified with those people who are not really interested in what you are telling them, but are just waiting for you to stop, so that they can start their story.
Most of us put up with repeated “uhs”, “ahs”, “wells”, and “ums” scattered over someone’s conversation like sprinkles on ice cream, even though we become impatient with the speaker. However, a habit more insulting and useless has recently entered the realm of speech – I refer to that conversational blotch “Ya Know”. Many people throw that into their storytelling after every pause, clause, or sentence. Perhaps I do know (or do not) but telling me that serves no purpose but to annoy.
I believe it’s time to think about respecting our spoken language, stop kowtowing to every new piece of street patois that is considered cool, eliminate conversational hiccups, and maintain a respectable level of speech.
Copyright © 2007 Edward Raymond.
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