Alva Review-Courier -

Illeism: The act of referring to oneself in the third person singular.

Bob Dole, the late U.S. Senator from Russell, Kansas, was a famous Illeist. He ran for president in 1996 and often used the third person in his speeches and this trait became known as “Doleisms.” He is quoted: “Bob Dole is a doer, not a talker.” Some people found it annoying, but when he referred to himself, listeners thought he was trying to increase his name recognition.

It is interesting to note that speech mannerisms are a vital part of each person’s character. We often speak in second person; an example is “I opened the door and ‘you’ could see everyone inside.” People switch to second person mid-sentence without hesitation.

Another mannerism I think interesting is the term “You know.” When we tell stories, we often start with “You know.” Most often you don’t know, that’s why we are telling you but don’t become obsessed with how people are talking to the point of not listening, dwelling on how they speak instead of what they say.

There are many overused terms. One that comes to mind most often is the word “awesome.” It is used to describe mundane outcomes, so what has happened to “great” or “outstanding?” Not everything is awesome.

Last on my list is “and stuff.” I know people who routinely add the phrase to their statements. An example is “We went grocery shopping and stuff.” What is “stuff” and is it available at Alva’s Market?