A new study shows that one of the most hated words in the heart of speech professors may, in fact, be useful. As it turns out, the word “like” has more meaning than just the stereotypical “Valley Girl” filler – it has been taken for granted.

The study, done by Temple University linguist Muffy E.A. Siegel, found that the word “like” has the ability to actually change the meaning of a sentence. The study builds on the findings of two other studies of “like.”

The word, which originated in slang form during the Beatnik generation of the 1950s became popularized by Southern California “Valley Girls” in the 1980s. Since then, “like” has been classified by linguists as a discourse particle such as “um,” “well,” and “oh.” However, according to Siegel, that classification may be wrong.

The study found that as well as being a crutch word or a filler for when a speaker is unsure of what they are about to say, or when he or she can’t find the right words, “like” can also substitute for the word “said,” Siegel says. It can also be a way to introduce an exaggeration as in, “He is, like, 10,000 pounds.”

But, despite the newfound justifications for using the word, speech students still can’t expect to be pardoned for using “like.”

“In casual conversation, it’s not an issue,” said Kelly Jo Wright, assistant director of forensics and communications and journalism lecturer. But in public speaking, it hurts credibility, she said.

One remedy for decreasing your usage of the word “like,” Wright said, is to tape record yourself.

“A lot of people don’t realize they’re using those fillers,” she said.

In speech classes, Wright makes check marks to record the number of times a student uses filler words such as “like,” “um” and “uh.” There have been speeches when she has recorded as many as 50 or 60 uses of filler words in a three-minute speech.

The idea for Siegel’s study was inspired by Siegel’s teenage daughter, whose speech was inundated with the word “like.” Listening to her speech, Siegel began to wonder if the word imparted greater meaning than previously believed.

The study began with formal one-on-one interviews, but Siegel found that her teenage subjects were, in fact, using too few “likes.” But, thanks to tape-recorded interviews conducted informally in natural student surroundings such as locker rooms, classrooms and school hallways, Siegel had the basis for her study. From the recordings, Siegel found that 14 of the students used ‘like’ at least once.

Siegel applied her linguistic knowledge to the transcripts and basically concluded that “like” can change the meaning of a sentence.

“It’s a big deal to linguists because the assumption has always been that all the meaning in a sentence comes from the real words in the sentence,” she said in the study.

Being familiar or having a plan for what you are going to say also helps decrease unnecessary usage of filler-type words, Wright said.

“The more confident you are, the less likely you will be to use it.”