Swearing plays a useful and important role in our language, with the same word often describing anger, pain or pleasure. While everyone has their idiosyncrasies – my granny’s being badgers – most languages have a premade set for every occasion, be it to insult someone or describe a bodily function. But what makes shit worse…
What’s, like, the point of ‘like’?
Like has become one of the bugbears of parents, teachers and the conservative media. It’s seen as a filler, a marker for stupidity and a lack of vocabulary, a ‘sign of our times’ (I assume not a good sign). Google ‘like discourse marker’ and you’ll find countless articles about the evils of like and how…
Shaken, not stirred – a spotlight on Sean Connery’s /s/
Sean Connery’s /s/ is one of the most famous things about him. But was it always a feature of his speech? Disclaimer: no.
