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It's funny - some months ago I noticed that I use the word "actually" lot, and started trying to curb it from my writing. Not for any AI-related reason, but bec

It's funny - some months ago I noticed that I use the word "actually" lot, and started trying to curb it from my writing. Not for any AI-related reason, but because it is almost always a meaningless filler word, and I find that being concise helps get my points across more clearly. e.g. "The body of the template is parsed, but not actually type-checked until the template is used." -> "but not typechecked until the template is used." The word "actually" here has a pleasant academic tone, but adds no meaning.

steve_adams_86 7mo ago
I try to curb my usage of 'actually' too. Like you I came to think of it as an indirect, fluffy discourse marker that should be replaced with more direct language. I'm totally fine with the word itself, but not with overuse of it or placing it where it clearly doesn't belong. And I did that a lot, I think. I suspect if you reviewed my HN comments, it's littered with 'actually' a ton. Also "I think...", "I feel like..." and other kind of... Passive, redundant, unnecessary noise. Like, no kidding I think the thing I'm expressing. Why state that? Another problem with "actually" is that it can seem condescending or unnecessarily contradictory. While I'm often trying to fluff up prose to soften disagreement (not a great habit), I'm inadvertently making it seem more off-putting than direct yet kind statements would. It can seem to attempt to shift authority to the speaker, if somewhat implicitly. Rather than stating that you disagree along with what you believe or adding information to discourse, you're suggesting that what you're saying somehow deviates from what the person you're speaking to would otherwise believe or expect. That's kind of weird to do, in my opinion. I'm very guilty of it, though I never had the intent of coming across this way. It can also seem kind of re-directive or evasive at times, like you don't want to get to the point, or you want to avoid the cost of disagreement. It's often used to hedge statements that shouldn't be hedged. This is mainly what led me to realize I should use it less. I hedge just about everything I say rather than simply state it and own it. When you're a hedger and you embed the odd 'actually' in there, you get a weird mix of evasive or contradictory hedging going on. That's poor and indirect communication.
- CamperBob2 7mo ago
  Like, no kidding I think the thing I'm expressing. Why state that? One reason might be to acknowledge that you're not being prescriptive, but leaving room for a subjective POV in situations that call for it. Likewise, the GP's use of "actually" acknowledges the contrast between what one might expect (that some preliminary type-checking might happen during initial parsing) and what in fact happens (no type checks occur until the template is used.) It doesn't seem out of line in that case.
  - steve_adams_86 7mo ago
    Absolutely, I was being overly reductive. Both "I think" and "actually" do serve useful purposes, and I'm being critical of redundant or over-use of them (which I tend to do).
- abustamam 7mo ago
  > Like, no kidding I think the thing I'm expressing. Why state that? I agree but it's not always clear whether you're stating an opinion or attempting to state a fact. Some folks would reply to a comment like this with "citation needed" but wouldn't otherwise have said that if the comment had opened with "I think."
saalweachter 7mo ago
I find various verbal tics come and go in my speech and writing over time. Lately "I mean" has been jumping out at me. It really only bothers me when I notice I've used it for multiple comments in the same thread or, worse, multiple times in the same comment.
- criddell 7mo ago
  I used to use honestly quite a bit and then noticed how unnecessary it was (does it ever improve a sentence?) and how overused it is on Reddit. I've also pretty much dropped just from my vocabulary when I'm talking about an alternative way to do something.
  - GreenWatermelon 7mo ago
    I mean, it just wasn't actually that useful, honestly.
5o1ecist 7mo ago
[flagged]
vunderba 7mo ago
I'm sure we all have our "Baader Meinhof" words - one of mine that I feel like I see everywhere these days is "resonate", as in, "This post really resonated with me." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion

steve_adams_86 7mo ago

I try to curb my usage of 'actually' too. Like you I came to think of it as an indirect, fluffy discourse marker that should be replaced with more direct language. I'm totally fine with the word itself, but not with overuse of it or placing it where it clearly doesn't belong. And I did that a lot, I think. I suspect if you reviewed my HN comments, it's littered with 'actually' a ton. Also "I think...", "I feel like..." and other kind of... Passive, redundant, unnecessary noise. Like, no kidding I think the thing I'm expressing. Why state that? Another problem with "actually" is that it can seem condescending or unnecessarily contradictory. While I'm often trying to fluff up prose to soften disagreement (not a great habit), I'm inadvertently making it seem more off-putting than direct yet kind statements would. It can seem to attempt to shift authority to the speaker, if somewhat implicitly. Rather than stating that you disagree along with what you believe or adding information to discourse, you're suggesting that what you're saying somehow deviates from what the person you're speaking to would otherwise believe or expect. That's kind of weird to do, in my opinion. I'm very guilty of it, though I never had the intent of coming across this way. It can also seem kind of re-directive or evasive at times, like you don't want to get to the point, or you want to avoid the cost of disagreement. It's often used to hedge statements that shouldn't be hedged. This is mainly what led me to realize I should use it less. I hedge just about everything I say rather than simply state it and own it. When you're a hedger and you embed the odd 'actually' in there, you get a weird mix of evasive or contradictory hedging going on. That's poor and indirect communication.

CamperBob2 7mo ago
Like, no kidding I think the thing I'm expressing. Why state that? One reason might be to acknowledge that you're not being prescriptive, but leaving room for a subjective POV in situations that call for it. Likewise, the GP's use of "actually" acknowledges the contrast between what one might expect (that some preliminary type-checking might happen during initial parsing) and what in fact happens (no type checks occur until the template is used.) It doesn't seem out of line in that case.
- steve_adams_86 7mo ago
  Absolutely, I was being overly reductive. Both "I think" and "actually" do serve useful purposes, and I'm being critical of redundant or over-use of them (which I tend to do).
abustamam 7mo ago
> Like, no kidding I think the thing I'm expressing. Why state that? I agree but it's not always clear whether you're stating an opinion or attempting to state a fact. Some folks would reply to a comment like this with "citation needed" but wouldn't otherwise have said that if the comment had opened with "I think."

saalweachter 7mo ago

I find various verbal tics come and go in my speech and writing over time. Lately "I mean" has been jumping out at me. It really only bothers me when I notice I've used it for multiple comments in the same thread or, worse, multiple times in the same comment.

criddell 7mo ago
I used to use honestly quite a bit and then noticed how unnecessary it was (does it ever improve a sentence?) and how overused it is on Reddit. I've also pretty much dropped just from my vocabulary when I'm talking about an alternative way to do something.
- GreenWatermelon 7mo ago
  I mean, it just wasn't actually that useful, honestly.

5o1ecist 7mo ago

[flagged]

vunderba 7mo ago

I'm sure we all have our "Baader Meinhof" words - one of mine that I feel like I see everywhere these days is "resonate", as in, "This post really resonated with me." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion