Valspeak

On several occasions in this blog I have expressed my disgust with something by saying "gag me with a spoon." While searching that term, I discovered to my chagrin that the phrase is an example of "Valspeak."

About 40% of TYWKIWDBI visits come from non-U.S. sites, so perhaps some explanation is in order. Here's the Wiki:

Valspeak is a common name for a now partially universal American sociolect, originally of Southern Californians, in particular valley girls. This stereotype originated in the 1970s, but was at its peak in the 1980s and lost popularity in the late 1990s and 2000s. Though for a brief period a national fad, many phrases and elements of Valspeak, along with surfer slang and skateboarding slang, are stable elements of the California English dialect lexicon, and in some cases wider American English (such as the widespread use of "like" as conversational filler). Elements of valspeak can now be found virtually everywhere English is spoken, particularly among young native English speakers.

The archetypal examples include "totally," "like," "duh," "as if," and "what-ever." As I look over the Valspeak vocabulary, I find the following have worked their way into my own repertoire: airhead, awesome, bummer, gag me, gross, going postal, and rays. It's too late for me to weed the words out, and it's unnecessary. For me it's interesting to discover where those words and phrases came from.