30.4890, Disc: I am crazy

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-30-4890. Sat Dec 28 2019. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 30.4890, Disc: I am crazy

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Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2019 18:59:59
From: AARON RAGUCCI [ragucciaaron at gmail.com]
Subject: I am crazy

 
Hello. I'm not really sure if this is the correct place to ask this question.
Hopefully this makes sense and I'm not insane.

I listen to a variety of podcasts at work, where I've noticed a growing trend
among hosts that also seems to bleed into real life conversation. When
explaining something, making a point or even presenting factual information,
they tend to end the sentence with "or whatever". Example: "the main character
is a cop or whatever."  Or, "it'll probably be like, 2030, or whatever."

I notice this phrase used most frequently in casual conversation amongst a
small group. My question is: why is this so common? What message does the
speaker convey when they use "or whatever"? They present information that is
relevant to the conversation, then drop "or whatever" at the end. 

Is it used in insecurity, as the speaker isn't confident in what they're
saying? Or is it used to allow the listener to sort of inject their own
thoughts into what the other person is saying? 

This is becoming a huge pet peeve of mine, I constantly hear many different
people end their sentences with "or whatever" completely unnecessarily. Am I
crazy or is there some sort of linguistic logic that can be applied to this? 

Thanks for reading



Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics



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