Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English

ISBN: 0593298322

Author: Fridland, Valerie

Condition: Used

"With easygoing authority... [Fridland] offers context, and a welcoming spirit, to the many contentious realignments in our language."-The Wall Street JournalSmart and funny-I loved it!" -Mignon Fogarty, author of New York Times bestseller Grammar Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingA lively linguistic exploration of the speech habits we love to hate-and why our likes and literallys actually make us better communicatorsParanoid about the ums and uhs that pepper your presentations? Concerned that people notice your vocal fry? Bewildered by hella or the meteoric rise of so? What if these features of our speech werent a sign of cultural and linguistic degeneration, but rather, some of the most dynamic and revolutionary tools at our disposal?In Like, Literally, Dude, linguist Valerie Fridland shows how we can re-imagine these forms as exciting new linguistic frontiers rather than our cultures impending demise. With delightful irreverence and expertise built over two decades of research, Fridland weaves together history, psychology, science, and laugh-out-loud anecdotes to explain why we speak the way we do today, and how that impacts what our kids may be saying tomorrow. She teaches us that language is both function and fashion, and that though we often blame the young, the female, and the uneducated for its downfall, we should actually thank them for their linguistic ingenuity.By exploring the dark corners every English teacher has taught us to avoid, Like, Literally, Dude redeems our most pilloried linguistic quirks, arguing that they are fundamental to our social, professional, and romantic success-perhaps even more so than our clothing or our resumes. It explains how filled pauses benefit both speakers and listeners; how the use of dude can help people bond across social divides; why were always trying to make our intensifiers ever more intense; as well as many other language tics, habits, and developments.Language change is natural, built into the language system itself, and we wouldnt be who we are without it. Like, Literally, Dude celebrates the dynamic, ongoing, and empowering evolution of language, and it will speak to anyone who talks, or listens, inspiring them to communicate dynamically and effectively in their daily lives.