Even Prince William and Harry are starting to sound like lager lads. "Like" and "you know are
verbal tics afflicting millions of otherwise intelligent people having trouble expressing complex thoughts in completing sentances. ( Telegraph UK )
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Enrique Gili is a freelance writer covering Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS), issues for regional magazines in the Southland and beyond. I live in Ocean Beach, San Diego the coolest beach town around.
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Like Duh! It's Not Rocket Science
Category: Commentary
Posted on: June 19, 2007 12:00 PM, by EJGili
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The good linguists at language log have a different take on the role of "like" in modern English speech:
"When people who think the English language is going to hell in a handcart cite phenomena like this use of like as their evidence, things are going a bit too far. Like functions in younger speakers' English as something perfectly ordinary: a way to signal hedging about vocabulary choice -- a momentary uncertainty about whether the adjacent expression is exactly the right form of words or not. If the English language didn't implode when if you will took on this kind of role among the baby boomers, it will survive having like take on an extremely similar role for their kids. The people who grouse about like are myopic old whiners who haven't looked at their own, like, linguistic foibles, if you will."
(Though on behalf of myopic people, I reserve the right to be offended by this blanket insult.)
Posted by: hilllady | June 19, 2007 01:27 PM