You Know

Heard on the train today - a conversation between two young (20-ish) people -
Person 1 - "Like, I could like make this like happen, you know."
Person 2 - "Like, for sure, like you really could like do it."
Like it or not, this is youth speak, but it isn't a new phenomenon. I attended a party in the late 60s hosted by my friends Leigh Lassen and Terry Logan, two soap opera stars in New York City. Leigh is a beautiful redhead who could trace her lineage to Russian royalty. One of the guests at the party was a Russian princess who was then in her 80s. Her family was forced to flee Russia during the revolution in 1917. They emigrated to the U.S. where their children received an excellent education. The princess and I had a conversation about language and she lamented the state of English usage in the U.S. It seems she was an avid listener of radio talk shows. She cited the comments made by several people who called these shows to offer their opinions on different subjects and followed their comments with "YOU KNOW."
"No, I DON'T know," she said. "I want them to explain their stand on the issues clearly."
I wonder how she would feel trying to translate some of today's slang and jargon. We have many different dialects in this country, sometimes several in one region or city. The phrase "YOU KNOW" is still widely used as evidenced by the conversation between the 20-somethings on the train today. Thanks to the princess, every time I hear the phrase I think, sometimes out loud, "No, I don't know. Please explain."
Sometimes it makes for an interesting conversation - other times it ends it.