Is the word 'actually' driving you crazy?

I say it; family members say it; friends say it; newscasters and weather casters say it.  It's the word 'actually.'  And it appears to be ubiquitous.  My husband Wayne and I have recently started making fun of each other when we catch each other using 'actually.'

Now, I am the last person to criticize or complain about current language use or take a language-is-going-to-hell-in-a-hand basket stance.  But when I realized I was hearing 'actually' multiple times a day coming out of my own mouth as well as that of others, I became intrigued with investigating what exact meaning we were trying to convey ( if any).

Doing a quick Google search, I discovered that criticizing the frequent use of  'actually' turns out to be fairly common. One writer delved into psychology by suggesting that the term often comes out as an indication of passive aggressive behavior, a secret criticism that is saying, "You are wrong, I am right, and you are at least a little bit of an idiot."  Actually, the Worst Word on the Planet is 'Actually' The writer continues to condemn 'actually' as being unnecessary and a waste of space and recommends the use of 'really' or 'truly' instead.

Another writer warns listeners to be on the lookout for the word 'actually' because it may signal deception on the part of the speaker.  "Never say it again, if you can help it," is this writer's

advice. 1 Word that Immediately Kills Your Credibility

Still another writer takes a more practical viewpoint by coaching Portuguese speakers in the use of  'actually'  because of its frequent usage by native English speakers.

Web site for this title

This article identifies four different functions for 'actually':  thinking again, saying 'in fact,' expressing surprise, and softening a blow.  Giving a speaker the chance to rethink or correct a statement is identified as the most useful skill for Portuguese speakers learning English.  If  you say something that you don't mean and want to take it back, or if you say something in error and change your mind about it, 'actually' placed at the beginning of the sentence will do the trick.

Speaker No. 1

"Do you want to go to the beach at noon?"

Speaker No. 2

"Yes.  Actually, no. It's too hot then.

The author considers 'actually' to be discourse marker, an expression that functions more for holding a conversation together rather than for providing much additional meaning.

My personal opinion is that we overuse 'actually' because it appears that everyone around us is using it.  Most of us want to fit in and sound like others, if only to communicate more effectively with them.

Still, overusing 'actually' has become for me an embarrassing habit that I am going to try to remedy in the next several months.  Maybe a rubber band on the wrist that I snap every time I hear myself use the word?  Or a dollar in the kitty?  I hope dropping the 'actually' habit is easier than losing those elusive extra ten pounds.  

Can you catch a scammer by using linguistic clues?

Ah, what has the world become, I ask myself as I check my email account each day. So many people trying to sell me something, or solicit support for their causes, or assure me that they are doing a wonderful job of whatever it is they are doing. And that's not the worst of it! The scammers are the most blatant. Most suspicious emails are caught in the spam folder, but a few slip by every week and appear in my inbox. The Internet is indeed a dangerous place!

Lately I have been challenging myself to spot a piece of spam mail using language analysis skills. Granted, a good dose of common sense and a watchful eye will recognize most spam messages, but I have decided to do some linguistic sleuthing as well.

One day recently I saw an email from a unknown person that began, "Hello, dearest..." Are you kidding me? I have never been called "dearest" in my whole life. I'm trying to imagine the type of person who thought up that salutation. 

And then there was this recent message: "I have a legal business proposal for you, reply if interested." Why did the writer feel the need to add the adjective "legal"? Could it be that the business proposal is, in fact, just the opposite? And what's with the run-on sentence? Didn't the writer have a strict eighth grade English teacher who made students correct run-on sentences by using a semicolon or a new sentence? 

One sentence can tell so much about a writer. " I wait to hear from you as to give you more details." Way too formal and a bit awkward. And "as to" is a synonym for "regarding" or "concerning," neither of which would fit in this sentence. 

And then there are the lengthier messages, which provide more opportunities for language missteps. Some questionable language is italicized below: three run-on sentences, an incorrect verb form ("she have") and an expression that struck me as unusual in this context, "I guess."





Hello,


In a brief introduction, I am a doctor by profession, Dr. Thomas Brown, my patient asked me to send you this email. Her name is Anna Maria Cahill, she had a surgical operation that resulted in the removal of her left breast. From the diagnosis report, she will not live longer than two months. I guess her reason to contact you is about her legacy, she said she saw your profile on a social network. Please contact her directly via email to hear what she have for you. She is passionate about donating her wealth to charity.


Kindly contact her via this email address: (email address provided).


Best Regards


Dr. Thomas Brown






The challenges of writing a believable spam message remind us of the difficulties involved in communicating in writing, especially if the language you are writing in is not your native language. I wouldn't even attempt to send out an unsolicited message in a foreign language - it would end up in the spam folder every time.


Have you received any spam messages with language that arouses suspicion? I would enjoy hearing about them.