It is official! Anyway, at the end of the day, it is what it is! “Whatever” is the most annoying word, you know? According to a recent poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, 47 per cent of Americans, irrespective of gender, location and age, believe there is no word more grating than “whatever”.
“You know” garnered 25 per cent of the votes, followed by “it is what it is” that bothered 11 per cent of the population. About seven per cent think the use of “anyway” should be banned while two percent of those who participated in the poll feel “at the end of the day” is the corniest phrase.
Supposedly immortalised by Nirvana in a song, “Oh well, whatever, never mind,” and popularised by the Valley Girls in the movie “Clueless”, the word “whatever” has come to signify everything from apathy to ending a discussion, debate or argument.
“The boredom conveyed by the tone in which one says ‘whatever’, is highly exasperating,” says freelance writer Christopher Darrell. He also thinks “like,” “OMG,” “LMAO” and “Cool” are used far too much in our everyday vocabulary.
We sure can do without incorporating the words “awesome” and “amazing” in every other sentence we construct. These two words are used to describe everything from an easy question paper or a delectable apple pie to a well delivered farewell speech or even your girlfriend’s silky smooth tresses.
According to copy editor Kamal Niren, “Words and phrases like ‘basically,’ ‘over the top,’ ‘value added,’ and ‘attitude’ are not just used in conversations but in writing too. I would rather be around people who describe a plate of kebabs as being ‘tasty,’ and not simply as being ‘nice’.”
English Lecturer Caroline Gomes expresses her concern about people being imprecise and lackadaisical while expressing themselves. She says: “It makes me wonder if we’re running short of words already!”
“The younger generation, in particular, is an incoherent lot. They do not take the trouble to articulate and because they text more than they talk or write, they use too many blanket terms, which lead to misinterpretation. What’s worse is that this kind of language is used even in answer scripts. ”
Psychologist Jamuna Tripathi gives her view on the issue. She believes: “Using terms like ‘whatever’ is symbolic of a certain callousness and indifference in society, by and large. Apart from wanting to appear ‘cool,’ people have become rather apathetic without noticing. This trend is scary because this kind of apathy might seem harmless now but this verbalised indifference is capable of building barriers between people without warning.”
