Language A to Z Season 1 Episode 12 L for Like
- TV-PG
- October 9, 2020
- 14 min
Turn now to a topic linguists get asked about a lot: the use of like in conversation among young people. As Professor McWhorter reveals, this popular pet peeve is actually a highly ritualized form of acting and a perfect example of pragmatic particles, which convey attitudes toward what's being said.