I have been having a pop at the phrase ‘political correctness gone mad’, as have others, but that is not the phrase which really irritates me: that honour goes to “I mean”.

Either this only started in the last few years, or I only started noticing it in the last few years. Some people use it a lot more than others, but it is extremely common.

Its not that the phrase is offensive in any way – its just redundant most of the time it is said.

Personally I think it is a result of us being told that we should not leave gaps when we speak or fill them with ‘umm’s, ‘er’s and ‘ah’s. When we umm and ah it is because we are trying to buy a bit of time to think what we are going to say, which is a good thing, but it sounds like we are indecisive or uncertain what to say, which is a bad thing. I am sure that little stock phrases get used to fulfil the purpose of umm-ing and ah-ing without sounding too vague, and most circumlocution serves such a purpose. (“personally speaking…”, “at this moment in time…”, “thats a very good question…”)

“I mean” is just a slightly more refined version of “yeah, but, no, but, yeah”!

I suspect that, having used “I mean” in such a way it has become a sort of tic or habit we find hard to break. Once I decided this I noticed how many times it is heard every day – and realised that previously I must have been subconsciously ignoring it. I wish I had not noticed it as it would make me much less wound up listening to speeches, interviews and conversations. If anyone else has read this far and gets similarly blighted then. Um. Sorry.

Worst of all, I have now noticed that the phrase is cropping up more and more in the written word, where there is no need to use such conversational placeholders. Just another consequence of the increasing trend towards making newspaper columns more and more chatty I suppose. Does it really add anything to such statements as:

“I mean, what is the point?”

“I mean, has anybody thought of the consequences?”

A quick Google search shows that I am not the only sufferer.

What is really bugging me now is that I can’t recall which Dickens character was always saying “by which I mean ter say” all the time. Uriah Heep? Bashford Squeers? Any ideas?