How to get rid of parasitic words in speech? Parasitic words: list and their replacement

It often happens that a person cannot remember the right word. And then there are two lines of behavior: someone tensely silently rummages through his memory, and the other begins to “help” himself with the words “this is the same,” “well,” etc. These are parasitic words that clog our speech and make it primitive and ugly.

Parasitic words mean certain words or a stable combination of several words that are pronounced without putting an informative component into them. They are usually used by people who do not have sufficient speech culture, or by those who are not confident in their words. By their syntactic essence, these words are introductory.

Parasitic words in Russian

Remember, you also sometimes use, appropriately and inappropriately, just to fill a pause, such parasitic words as “in short,” “like,” “as if.” And at the same time, many do not even think about the fact that the use of, for example, the last two expressions makes the object in question seem unreal.

We pronounce

“He seems to be good” - an absolutely incomprehensible and completely unnecessary insertion of “as if” immediately gives the definition of “good” an ironic shade, which involuntarily makes one doubt the truth of the statement.
The use of parasitic words not only clogs up speech, but also makes the thought that a person expresses incomprehensible and confusing. And vice versa, speech in which there are no unnecessary insertions, inappropriate interjections and other “husks” is clear, pleasant to the ear of the interlocutor, and endears him to the speaker. How to avoid possible ambiguous interpretation of your words and make your speech clear, intelligible and beautiful?

Prevention

Embolofrasia is a bad habit transmitted by airborne droplets. Not literally, but figuratively. We are influenced by our environment, including how we speak. Have you noticed that close friends have common words and unity of thought, phrases spoken in one voice? So it is with parasitic words. If someone else around you suffers from this disease, then there are three options:

recover together;
break contact;
engage in preventive maintenance regularly.

I propose to consider the latter in more detail.

Replace simple and primitive words with introductory constructions (“well” with “therefore”, “here” with “further”). Anything is better than the language of gopniks.
Don't carry on a conversation if it doesn't interest you. Parasites are born from trying to squeeze something out of oneself.
Make a joke agreement on purity of speech. Whoever utters an unwanted word crows or meows (under any conditions and circumstances).
Read aloud. Firstly, your vocabulary expands. Secondly, speech skills improve. Thirdly, the brain remembers ready-made speech structures (you won’t notice this yourself, but the information will be recorded on the internal “disk” and will be activated independently). Preference should be given to fiction, journalistic, and popular science literature.
Retell stories, films, jokes. Pay attention to what words you use. This way you will expand your passive vocabulary.
Make a list of standard beautiful speech expressions or ready-made sayings and use them (but do not relegate them to the status of “genetically modified parasites”).
Do exercises to select synonyms (for your speech or text from a book).

What are filler words: examples

interjections , which can be called conventional filler words, are very common in oral speech These are absolutely unjustified sounds with which the phrase is “broken”: “yesterday I was uh at the cinema and watched an interesting mmmm film.” It is hardly possible to imagine that the person pronouncing this remembered the words “cinema” and “film”; most likely, he simply does not pay attention to the purity of speech at all.

Have appeared densely in our lives

Sometimes a person, trying to convey emotions, begins to abuse the means of their verbal expression. “You really have no idea how many mushrooms there are,” he says excitedly to his interlocutor, without thinking about the fact that “really” in this case does not carry much meaning and is a classic parasite.
Words for “beginning” that precede the phrase itself, “in short,” “you see,” “in general” are not informative, but only overload the speech.
Parasitic words, as a reverse reaction, appear when you address your interlocutor: “can you imagine”, “you know” ... You don’t expect him to answer you “I imagine”, “I know”?

Personal qualities

There are also individual parasitic words that are not popular among a large circle of speakers, but constantly slip into the minds of individual individuals (for example, the famous “unambiguously”, so adored by one politician I know), which over time can “infect” their interlocutors and listeners.

“Definitely” indicates the confidence of the speaker. “As if,” on the contrary, is most often used by people who are insecure,” according to Maxim Krongauz. Although he does not agree with the unknown authors of the famous Internet note “Parasitic words give away our secrets”:

Yet the idea that they can reveal our hidden deepest qualities is not entirely accurate. This is probably just one of the bright strokes in the speech portrait, a characteristic of the community and era to which we belong, and not the characteristics of the individual.

Parasite words: psychology

The use of parasitic words often stems from the psychological characteristics of a person and his character. For example, if you often say the word “just” , then it is quite possible that the opinion of you will be formed as a person who does not have his own opinion, in addition, is quite irresponsible .
“by the way” out of place and out of place , an experienced psychologist will immediately characterize you as constantly trying to attract attention to himself .
The address “you know,” as well as “you see,” “you hear,” with which many begin a conversation, hints at your talkativeness , which is sometimes not always appropriate and desirable.
The use of such a parasite as “in short” is most often perceived by the interlocutor as an indicator of the superficiality of your knowledge and mastery of the topic of conversation.
“I think” - this sometimes sounds categorical, unless, of course, the interlocutor at the moment was interested in your opinion.
And if you insert the adverbial clause “in fact” into a phrase, you can give the impression of a snob who does not respect the point of view of others, but considers himself a truly expert in this matter.

Who can use

Stop worrying

The fight against verbal “garbage” should be based on the factors that provoke the emergence of such a problem. One of them is excessive anxiety. When your own thoughts are not clearly formulated, they are constantly confused, and the thread of the logical narrative is constantly lost, then sentences cannot be constructed correctly.

To cope with this and start, as they say, constructing sentences beautifully, you need to learn to manage your anxiety. Try to breathe in as much oxygen as possible, concentrate and pull yourself together. People speak in parasitic phrases more often when excitement takes over their consciousness.

Parasitic words and their replacement

Words that came from another language and became “connections” in sentences can be pronounced in Russian without compromising the meaning of what was said. The endless “okay” , often used inappropriately, is also quite understandable in the variant “good”, “okay”, “that suits me”. If you greet friends with the slang word "hi", try simply saying "hello", "hello", "good morning". And for those who, out of all the richness of the German language, have only mastered “Ferstein”, we can recommend saying “you understand.”
Parasitic words from youth slang are also not appropriate in all situations. If you say about an actress in the theater that she “cool” and for this she has “respect and respect ,” theater regulars are unlikely to understand you. In this situation, try to express yourself as follows: “the actress played excellently, she is worthy of admiration.”
Words altered from curses still carry the original meaning, which everyone understands perfectly well. Therefore, you should not use the word “damn” , because in the understanding of the interlocutor it still remains obscene. And if instead of “damn, don’t burden me” you say “no need to insist,” any interlocutor will understand you perfectly, regardless of his level of culture.
Lisping in the style of “fish”, “sun”, “bunny” is acceptable only in relation to a small child; in other cases these are typical filler words. This kind of address to each other in front of strangers looks especially ridiculous and funny. Therefore, it is better to address even your most beloved “cat” only by name.
“Classical” parasitic word “type”, parasitic word “in short” , which have become a real disaster of the modern colloquial Russian language. Watch your speech, catching yourself saying such words and avoiding it if possible. You don’t need to say “tell the teacher that I kind of went to the doctor,” instead construct the sentence like this: “tell the teacher that I don’t feel well and that’s why I went to the doctor.”
The “mooing” or “mooing” really spoils the impression of your speech and the meaning of what you said . Instead of dragging out “well-ooh,” it’s better to pause for a couple of seconds, during which you will choose the right word.
But there is nothing to replace words like “damn” or “well, that” , since they have no meaning. Therefore, they should simply be avoided.

Exercises against verbal “garbage”

To forget about this problem forever, you can try doing special exercises regularly. They will help you learn to speak beautifully. There is a set of measures aimed at eliminating unwanted expressions from the lexicon. It gives a pronounced effect and a truly positive result if a person approaches his problem meaningfully.

There is no need to try to get rid of these words in a short period of time. Your speech has been clogged for years, so don't try to clear it in just a few weeks. You will have to be patient, which will help eradicate the existing problem.

Parasitic words: examples

There are probably too many such words to count, because they often become parasites in the context of what is said. But there are certain examples that are worth listing, so that everyone can control their speech and think about whether they are too often “wasting” such parasitic words as:

This
Exactly this
Briefly speaking
As if
That is
However
All in all
Like
Let's say
Means
Well
So
OK
How to say
Seems
Here
You know
Probably
So to speak,
Crap
In fact
No or yes
Basically
Understand
Just
Hard to tell
At all
Actually (or strictly speaking)
By the way
Listen (can you hear)
For example
Really
Specifically
I guess
As the saying goes
Actually
What's his name
All that

This, of course, is not all, but the most frequently used words and phrases, which are parasites if used in speech not in their main meaning.

Full list

In fact

This word is loved by self-confident and selfish people, among whom there are many sanguine extroverts. They can trust only their own opinion and themselves, disdaining the position and experience of others. People who are “in reality” often find it difficult to make like-minded people and friends. In disputes, it is important for them not to find the truth, but to silence their opponents. The interlocutors in most cases do not want to accept their point of view and often do not want to deal with them anymore.

Modern filler words

Among the parasitic words that have appeared in recent years, the leading ones are such expressions as “like”, “nice”, “as if”, “really”, “specifically”. All of them were originally slang, used in certain social groups. Many words come from films or youth TV series.
And, of course, unfortunately, many “garbage” words arise, the basis of which is profanity. The same “damn”, and with it “eprst” or “eper theater” , are nothing more than swear words pseudo-adapted to social and cultural norms.

Constant practice

Only constant practice allows you to cope with such a problem and forget about the words parasites. It's worth practicing every chance you get. Especially if it is a public speech or report that will be read in front of a huge audience.

Through constant practice, you will speak meaningfully, slowly and thoughtfully. This is the only way to achieve your goal. Through public speaking and preliminary preparation of monologues, “junk” words, the use of which was previously habitual, will gradually begin to leave your vocabulary. And then your speech will begin to improve, and you will be able to communicate the way professional speakers and real intellectuals speak.

The harm of parasitic words

It would seem, what’s so scary about them, about such repeated parasitic words? Of course, they do not pose a mortal threat, but they are harmful in the following ways:

The interlocutor, listening to such “insertions”, perceives what is said worse, since the coherent presentation is interrupted, in addition, such filler words are unpleasant to the ear.
in the filler words .
By using such “trash” words, you emphasize the limitations and poverty of your vocabulary.
Frequent use of unnecessary words can indicate to your interlocutor that you are worried or simply not confident in yourself.
If you don’t just use “uh” or “well” to fill a pause, but interrupt your speech with swear words, this indicates a low level of culture, which will reduce the number of people who want to communicate with you.
By overloading your speech with a large number of additional words, you reduce the chances of the interlocutor understanding you.
Parasitic words are dangerous because the person uttering them often does not notice it himself, but those around him draw certain conclusions.

Harmful words

Exactly this

This is what people who are not very responsible and lazy prefer to say. They are very impulsive and unreliable and should not be relied upon. Such people can creatively shift their blame onto everyone who bothers to get their hands on it. They often think that they have been unfairly deprived, and that everyone in the world “owes” them - that’s what the parasitic word “this is the same” means.

The benefits of filler words

Of course, parasitic words are not always harmful. Sometimes they are used deliberately to give speech a certain emotional coloring, acting as a kind of marker to emphasize belonging to a particular social class. In this case, they serve to simplify the creation of an atmosphere of mutual understanding and “simplify” speech.
In a sense, the use of filler words helps thinking. While uttering the meaningless “this one, what’s his name,” a person at this time selects the right word.
Such words, appropriately and timely chosen and expressed, can in a certain way defuse a tense atmosphere and serve as a reason for laughter.
They add emotional coloring to the dialogue , but only if they are expressed as an independent word, and not an introductory one.
And finally, filler words are often an element of acting, necessary to embody a credible image on screen or on stage.

origin of name

This term refers to an organism that exists and maintains its vital functions at the expense of another organism. Speech “garbage”, the use of which occurs unconsciously, distorts the meaning of what is said, as if absorbing and eating it. This precise definition is given by experts.

They feed on your beautiful speech. That is why such words acquired the same name. Over time, they begin to occupy a larger share in the dialogue and become more popular than other phrases and statements.

How to get rid of parasitic words in speech?

It has been noticed that most often parasitic words begin to sound at the moment when there is a hitch or pause in a conversation or monologue. Most often, this is due to the fact that the speaker does not think of the right word and, trying to remember it, he involuntarily “fills” this pause with filler words. What to do to avoid such a situation?

Get rid of

It’s best to really pause, just a short one, a few seconds. Then you will not distract your memory with unnecessary words, but will force it to work specifically on topics related to the subject of conversation. In addition, during a pause, your interlocutor can think about what you said. And, of course, short-term silence will make a much better impression on others than “well”, “that’s it”, “what’s his name”...
Practice. Talk to people, speak at meetings, participate in discussions, thereby improving both your vocabulary and speaking skills. It is very important to be among intelligent people more often, to listen to their correct speech, taking it as a model.
When you are painfully searching for the right word, you may realize yourself that you are ready to use some word just to end the prolonged pause. If you find yourself wanting this, hold your breath or take a deep breath. This will help you avoid using a filler word and will give you time to find the right word or its synonym.
Try to involve friends or relatives in solving the problem. Let them, when communicating with you, point out every filler word uttered during the conversation. You can even keep a record - this will be useful in order to understand how often you abuse this verbal garbage and draw conclusions. In addition, knowing that you are being controlled, you will involuntarily monitor your speech, so it will gradually become a habit. You can even introduce a system of fines for every unnecessary word spoken.

Interesting ideas

Talk without haste or excitement. They are the ones who “crumple” thoughts, forcing you to jump from one to another, thereby losing the thread of the conversation or presentation of the topic. This is a doubly good technique, since people perceive calm, coherent speech much better.
Read as much as possible so you will subconsciously perceive the correct meaning of words and the principles of constructing sentences, enriching your speech and making it correct. Try to retell what you read in your own words, monitoring yourself or with the help of friends.

Breathing training

The process of getting rid of such words is impossible to imagine without proper breathing. More often they appear when unexpected pauses occur. And to prevent this from happening, you need to learn to control yourself by taking a deep breath.

Every time you want to insert “extra” expressions, you need to take a good breath and use the resulting pause to correctly construct and use the next phrase. Such a silent pause that arises will look much better than if people speak as if, like, and so on.