Yes, so you can say, “I’m eating my rasher, leave me alone” and that is correct. But a phrase like “a rasher of bacon and a fried egg” has been considered correct over the last century or so.

“[…frying like a] rasher of bacon”? Rasher IS bacon.

Of course it then became set in stone since all communication requires a common set of meanings to actually convey information and it spread outside the prisons into the general culture and the guards eventually found out what the words meant.

It’s not annoying, it’s different. And therefore notable. And therefore the teenagers, being adults who are still “wired” by conditioning to be children and therefore trying to rewire the programming and find out who they, as an adult in this world, are, WANT to be noticed and different. And then others want to be like them to identify with whoever they are.

And, being notable, if it’s not a speech pattern a “grown up” already knows and is comfortable with, finds the patterns and vocalisations unusual, unexpected, therefore grating.

When done by teenagers, there’s zero problem. It’s how they work out their difference from the child the parents and society wrote them to be.

If older, it is less useful since it is picked up from what’s “new” as an affectation, not a re-learning process and the annoying is real.

But if they used to talk like that, then “they don’t know better” (from an older generations’ POV) which can be laid as an issue either at the younger or the older generation. It’s just learned preference and it’s not faked on either side.

Yes its weird that it takes a while to isolate it in your mind in a way. I don’t know what the States is like but over here in the UK it is pretty much epidemic now. I don’t know why people keep thinking its a female thing… I’ve seen it more often in women but its definitely affecting both sexes. Its so affected, I can’t believe more people aren’t annoyed about it or talking about it. Younger, trendier kids are far more likely to do it. Its the first thing I notice now. I can’t tell you what a relief it is when you meet people who aren’t doing it – their voices sound so good! I am actually worried about not being able to find a girl to go out with who doesn’t do it now. I wouldn’t be able to tolerate it.