http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11426737
"Teen Slang - What's, like, so wrong with like?" is a magazine article by Denise Winterman published in the BBC News Magazine. Winterman opens the article with stating that Emma Thompson, an Oscar-winning actress gets aggravated when teenagers use the word 'like' and thinks it makes them sound stupid to the extent where she feels she's going "insane" (Winterman1). However, Winterman's argument is that the word 'like' is actually useful in our daily use of language and not as big of a "crime" as Thompson seems to think it is (Winterman 1). Linguists find that the reason we use the word 'like' so much is because humans have adapted to try and make their language flow as much as possible. We use fillers such as "like" to pause and think because as non-linguists we are not as capable in terms of lexicon and grammar and especially as teenagers, we need to stop and think.
For teenagers, the word "like" has become very versatile. As a conversation filler first, it is also used as a quotative "And I was like, and she was like to him..."and to indicate a metaphor, "He like got burned when she was like..." Winterman states that the origin of "like" is from America and particularly The Valley Girl slang but has spread to the UK through means of media such as American films and television. Winterman lastly argues that "like" is a way to identify with one another for teenagers. They feel as if they belong when others speak like them and it's a form of comfort zone that differentiates them from adults. The linguist then says that in their profession, they also have acronyms that make them a community so why shouldn't teenagers outside their school life?
Winterman as a language expert maintains a formal register throughout the article but does get her voice across. She attempts to relate to teenagers by using quotes from language experts that contain the person pronoun "we" quite frequently such as"we all stall for time and historically always have" to demonstrate that it is human beings as a whole that do this, and it is not unusual for teenagers to pause for time by adding a filler. Similar to this one, Winterman has included other quotations from language experts that do not oppose the use of "like" and using these references help to strengthen her argument that it is indeed nothing to get so angry about as the actress does. She uses some figurative language that makes her article interesting to read. An instance where she does this when she states that the actress was getting "hot under the collar" or essentially, very irritated. She has also used a metaphor to display the use of "like" as an indication of a metaphor such as "I, like, died of embarrassment when you told me to stop using slang."
This article from BBC News is helpful in conveying her argument. As it is a trusted source and there are various references to linguists such as Dr. Groves and Professor Upton, it makes her point strong.
"Teen Slang - What's, like, so wrong with like?" is a magazine article by Denise Winterman published in the BBC News Magazine. Winterman opens the article with stating that Emma Thompson, an Oscar-winning actress gets aggravated when teenagers use the word 'like' and thinks it makes them sound stupid to the extent where she feels she's going "insane" (Winterman1). However, Winterman's argument is that the word 'like' is actually useful in our daily use of language and not as big of a "crime" as Thompson seems to think it is (Winterman 1). Linguists find that the reason we use the word 'like' so much is because humans have adapted to try and make their language flow as much as possible. We use fillers such as "like" to pause and think because as non-linguists we are not as capable in terms of lexicon and grammar and especially as teenagers, we need to stop and think.
For teenagers, the word "like" has become very versatile. As a conversation filler first, it is also used as a quotative "And I was like, and she was like to him..."and to indicate a metaphor, "He like got burned when she was like..." Winterman states that the origin of "like" is from America and particularly The Valley Girl slang but has spread to the UK through means of media such as American films and television. Winterman lastly argues that "like" is a way to identify with one another for teenagers. They feel as if they belong when others speak like them and it's a form of comfort zone that differentiates them from adults. The linguist then says that in their profession, they also have acronyms that make them a community so why shouldn't teenagers outside their school life?
Winterman as a language expert maintains a formal register throughout the article but does get her voice across. She attempts to relate to teenagers by using quotes from language experts that contain the person pronoun "we" quite frequently such as"we all stall for time and historically always have" to demonstrate that it is human beings as a whole that do this, and it is not unusual for teenagers to pause for time by adding a filler. Similar to this one, Winterman has included other quotations from language experts that do not oppose the use of "like" and using these references help to strengthen her argument that it is indeed nothing to get so angry about as the actress does. She uses some figurative language that makes her article interesting to read. An instance where she does this when she states that the actress was getting "hot under the collar" or essentially, very irritated. She has also used a metaphor to display the use of "like" as an indication of a metaphor such as "I, like, died of embarrassment when you told me to stop using slang."
This article from BBC News is helpful in conveying her argument. As it is a trusted source and there are various references to linguists such as Dr. Groves and Professor Upton, it makes her point strong.
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