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Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English
"With easygoing authority... [Fridland] offers context, and a welcoming spirit, to the many contentious realignments in our language."—The Wall Street Journal
“Smart and funny—I loved it!" —Mignon Fogarty, author of New York Times bestseller Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
A lively linguistic exploration of the speech habits we love to hate—and why our “like”s and “literally”s actually make us better communicators
Paranoid 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 weren’t 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 culture’s 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 we’re 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 wouldn’t 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.
“Smart and funny—I loved it!" —Mignon Fogarty, author of New York Times bestseller Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
A lively linguistic exploration of the speech habits we love to hate—and why our “like”s and “literally”s actually make us better communicators
Paranoid 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 weren’t 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 culture’s 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 we’re 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 wouldn’t 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.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2023
155 people are currently reading
5027 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Fridland
6 books30 followersProfessor Valerie Fridland is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada, Reno. She received her Ph.D. in Linguistics, with a specialization in Sociolinguistics, from Michigan State University. Her teaching areas include general linguistics, sociolinguistics, syntax, language and gender, and language and social life.
As a sociolinguist, Professor Fridland’s main focus is on varieties of American English. The goal of her research is to better understand how variability in speech production relates to variability in speech perception and how social identity (such as that related to region, gender, or ethnicity) affects speech. Her research explores links between social factors and speech processing, filling gaps in the speech science literature, which does not typically consider social influences on the understanding of speech. In addition to this main focus, she examines how gender and ethnicity are enmeshed with linguistic variation.
Professor Fridland presents her work at major meetings of the Linguistic Society of America and the American Dialect Society, and at the New Ways of Analyzing Variation conference. Her work is regularly published in such journals as American Speech, the Journal of Sociolinguistics, Language Variation and Change, Lingua, and the Journal of Phonetics, and appears in a number of edited collections. Professor Fridland is currently editing a collected volume on contemporary Western States English for the American Dialect Society.
As a sociolinguist, Professor Fridland’s main focus is on varieties of American English. The goal of her research is to better understand how variability in speech production relates to variability in speech perception and how social identity (such as that related to region, gender, or ethnicity) affects speech. Her research explores links between social factors and speech processing, filling gaps in the speech science literature, which does not typically consider social influences on the understanding of speech. In addition to this main focus, she examines how gender and ethnicity are enmeshed with linguistic variation.
Professor Fridland presents her work at major meetings of the Linguistic Society of America and the American Dialect Society, and at the New Ways of Analyzing Variation conference. Her work is regularly published in such journals as American Speech, the Journal of Sociolinguistics, Language Variation and Change, Lingua, and the Journal of Phonetics, and appears in a number of edited collections. Professor Fridland is currently editing a collected volume on contemporary Western States English for the American Dialect Society.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
March 4, 2025
Lots of great information about the evolution and usage of language in here as the author dissects a handful of speaking habits in modern English that are considered undesirable (think "literally," "dude," and vocal fry). I found myself willing to get on board with her points most of the time (the more you learn about how malleable language is, the less snobby about it you become, in my experience), but I absolutely cannot agree with her conclusions on filled pauses (ums and uhs in English).
April 11, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.
Look, linguistics is one of my weird things I absolutely love and I loved it even before I suffered (gladly) through history of the english language in college. As an english teacher, I also never escape grammar or the constant questions of why english is the way it is. So, on top of using many filler words in my normal, daily conversation...this book was incredibly interesting and was an immediate request from me when I saw it appear.
It was a delight to read. There is a lot of humor, but there's also the pure linguistic goodness like glottal sounds and the phonetic alphabet and things that would have never made sense to me had I not taken my linguistics course in college. Even for those who do not have even a smidge of background in linguistics though would understand Fridland's writing and how things are explained.
I particularly enjoyed how it was intersectional in its analysis, and although it focuses mostly on gender and language, there are nods to class and race as well. The focus and emphasis on slang and filler words was also interesting, and I could see applying some of this to what I tell my students -- especially when they call me out on how many times I say uhhhhh or other filler words. I deducted a star because I did not read nearly the hour worth of footnotes (according to my kindle) and although I did skim it, I wish some of the information from the footnotes would have made it into the actual book. I also think more intersectional analysis would have been nice, or like a primer to linguistics.
Overall though, this was a delightful, informative read.
Look, linguistics is one of my weird things I absolutely love and I loved it even before I suffered (gladly) through history of the english language in college. As an english teacher, I also never escape grammar or the constant questions of why english is the way it is. So, on top of using many filler words in my normal, daily conversation...this book was incredibly interesting and was an immediate request from me when I saw it appear.
It was a delight to read. There is a lot of humor, but there's also the pure linguistic goodness like glottal sounds and the phonetic alphabet and things that would have never made sense to me had I not taken my linguistics course in college. Even for those who do not have even a smidge of background in linguistics though would understand Fridland's writing and how things are explained.
I particularly enjoyed how it was intersectional in its analysis, and although it focuses mostly on gender and language, there are nods to class and race as well. The focus and emphasis on slang and filler words was also interesting, and I could see applying some of this to what I tell my students -- especially when they call me out on how many times I say uhhhhh or other filler words. I deducted a star because I did not read nearly the hour worth of footnotes (according to my kindle) and although I did skim it, I wish some of the information from the footnotes would have made it into the actual book. I also think more intersectional analysis would have been nice, or like a primer to linguistics.
Overall though, this was a delightful, informative read.
May 29, 2023
Just about every book on linguistics bores the absolute hell out of me, and I have no clue why I picked this book up. With that being said, I’m extremely glad that I did. Valerie Fridland managed to make this normally boring topic and make it interesting and engaging. Not only that, but I usually hate books about history, but she actually made me interested in the origins of words and the linguistic researchers that try to track down the history.
This book was extremely interesting, and like the title says, she argues for “bad” English. I put “bad” in quotes because, as Fridland argues throughout the book, there are good reasons for this type of English, and it’s pretty silly that we judge it so harshly. I’m a writer, and I have always thought this, but this book even had me reflect on how I judge the way others speak and now has me rethinking it.
I really loved how she explained how the judging of how others speak and words they use is pretty classist, but she also explains how complex certain ways we talk actually are. The main value I gained from this book is being way less self-conscious about how I write and speak. I read and write a lot about “intellectual” topics, but I try to relate to the average person, and this book helped me feel more secure with how I do that.
If you’re even semi-interested in this topic, I can’t recommend this book enough.
This book was extremely interesting, and like the title says, she argues for “bad” English. I put “bad” in quotes because, as Fridland argues throughout the book, there are good reasons for this type of English, and it’s pretty silly that we judge it so harshly. I’m a writer, and I have always thought this, but this book even had me reflect on how I judge the way others speak and now has me rethinking it.
I really loved how she explained how the judging of how others speak and words they use is pretty classist, but she also explains how complex certain ways we talk actually are. The main value I gained from this book is being way less self-conscious about how I write and speak. I read and write a lot about “intellectual” topics, but I try to relate to the average person, and this book helped me feel more secure with how I do that.
If you’re even semi-interested in this topic, I can’t recommend this book enough.
October 26, 2023
4.5 stars
This was such a cool read! For context, my master's thesis was linguistic in nature, so this is the exact sort of thing I would have had to include in it (had it been published earlier). This was very approachable and accessible to a less academic audience while also being full of interesting information. I definitely learned some things around history! This does a great job breaking down how social biases impact public opinion on language - meanwhile, it is those marginalized groups who are the innovators.
I would recommend to anyone who is interested in linguistics. If you read Wordslut by Amanda Montel and you want to learn even more, check this out!
This was such a cool read! For context, my master's thesis was linguistic in nature, so this is the exact sort of thing I would have had to include in it (had it been published earlier). This was very approachable and accessible to a less academic audience while also being full of interesting information. I definitely learned some things around history! This does a great job breaking down how social biases impact public opinion on language - meanwhile, it is those marginalized groups who are the innovators.
I would recommend to anyone who is interested in linguistics. If you read Wordslut by Amanda Montel and you want to learn even more, check this out!
May 6, 2023
Perhaps without realizing it, the author's overarching message is nothing more than "anything goes" in spoken language. She somehow ignores that the central purpose of language is facilitating communication between and among people. I didn't see much point in finishing the book once I realized the limited scope of her research.
February 28, 2024
This book offers a fascinating look at the evolution of the English language and the ways in which popular parlance shifts what's considered correct.
The audiobook edition is optimal for absorbing the material, as the examples can be best understood in an audio format. I really appreciated the use of multiple narrators, based on the myriad topics covered.
The audiobook edition is optimal for absorbing the material, as the examples can be best understood in an audio format. I really appreciated the use of multiple narrators, based on the myriad topics covered.
January 6, 2024
got bored almost immediately (probably due to the book covering one word/phrase per chapter. we literally do not need a whole 25 pages on the word literally)
March 22, 2024
Buying this book for all the people I know who are intrigued by language usage. Lots to learn and think about here.
February 28, 2024
Yankee Doodle Dandy makes sense now.
November 8, 2023
Definitely an interesting read!! The concepts covered were intriguing, but you can definitely tell it was written by a linguist. Sometimes, the topics felt like they were beaten to death but that’s also the point of linguistics. Lots of language to read, but it definitely opens your perspective!
September 4, 2023
My favorite type of book: a deep look into a fundamental, yet criminally overlooked element of our lives. One that governs and shapes our lives, yet we give it short shrift when thinking of ways we could investigate, improve, or understand our lives and the lives of those around us.
This book attacks head on the idea that “bad language” or “incorrect speech” has no basis in linguistics, and should be rooted out. This falls apart pretty quickly when doing a dive into how languages change, and additionally how language acts as a mirror for our external societal or cultural changes.
All languages create new terms to fill voids, and adapt terms to reflect modern usages, moral standards, and societal norms. Thus: “dude”, using a singular “they”, “like”, “um” and “uh”, “literally”, vocal fry, and other reviled linguistic quirks actually have generally a much more fascinating history as they fill their respective language gaps, or in some cases, change the social standing of those using it (women using vocal fry and lowering their vocal register to gain authority and to be taken seriously).
In the end, things we “hate” about language are nearly in every case examples of how we view the speaker and their role in relation to us, whether their gender, race, or socioeconomic status. In short: be careful when criticizing speech - not only is speech tied up with someone’s very identity (this attacking someone’s speech is inherently disapproving of that person directly), it reveals more about who YOU are than it does the person whose speech you are criticizing. If you just look a little deeper, someone’s nonstandard speech generally has more depth, more interesting features, and indeed more genius than you will have ever suspected.
This book attacks head on the idea that “bad language” or “incorrect speech” has no basis in linguistics, and should be rooted out. This falls apart pretty quickly when doing a dive into how languages change, and additionally how language acts as a mirror for our external societal or cultural changes.
All languages create new terms to fill voids, and adapt terms to reflect modern usages, moral standards, and societal norms. Thus: “dude”, using a singular “they”, “like”, “um” and “uh”, “literally”, vocal fry, and other reviled linguistic quirks actually have generally a much more fascinating history as they fill their respective language gaps, or in some cases, change the social standing of those using it (women using vocal fry and lowering their vocal register to gain authority and to be taken seriously).
In the end, things we “hate” about language are nearly in every case examples of how we view the speaker and their role in relation to us, whether their gender, race, or socioeconomic status. In short: be careful when criticizing speech - not only is speech tied up with someone’s very identity (this attacking someone’s speech is inherently disapproving of that person directly), it reveals more about who YOU are than it does the person whose speech you are criticizing. If you just look a little deeper, someone’s nonstandard speech generally has more depth, more interesting features, and indeed more genius than you will have ever suspected.
March 3, 2023
Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English will be published on April 18, 2023. Penguin Group/Viking publishing provided an early galley for review.
As a lifelong amateur writer myself, I have always had a thing for language and its uses. It is no surprise that my favorite class in school was English. The topic alone was enough to draw me to the book, yet I really like the cover design here as well. With the colors and layout, it will definitely speak to readers and draw them in.
As a sociolinguist, Fridland correlates changes in language to changes in societal cultures. She manages to deliver this in a scholarly manner that is engaging to the lay-reader. I learned a lot about filled pauses ("uh" and "um"), discourse markers ("like") and intensifiers ("literally"); reading her book was akin to taking an introductory course on linguistics.
I very much enjoyed the history of the usage of "dude". I found the discussion on "in' versus ing" to be illuminating (it applied directly to what I often found myself doing when writing dialogue for certain characters in my own fiction).
As a lifelong amateur writer myself, I have always had a thing for language and its uses. It is no surprise that my favorite class in school was English. The topic alone was enough to draw me to the book, yet I really like the cover design here as well. With the colors and layout, it will definitely speak to readers and draw them in.
As a sociolinguist, Fridland correlates changes in language to changes in societal cultures. She manages to deliver this in a scholarly manner that is engaging to the lay-reader. I learned a lot about filled pauses ("uh" and "um"), discourse markers ("like") and intensifiers ("literally"); reading her book was akin to taking an introductory course on linguistics.
I very much enjoyed the history of the usage of "dude". I found the discussion on "in' versus ing" to be illuminating (it applied directly to what I often found myself doing when writing dialogue for certain characters in my own fiction).
June 8, 2023
A solid and entertaining look at various pet peeves of English and their historical or social explanations, but it doesn’t really go beyond what you’d learn in an introductory linguistics class.
January 6, 2024
This was a great switch-up of topics for my audiobook digestion kicking off the new year. I've always been a woerd nerd [sic] and, when Gmail started to overtake Hotmail and other email services towards the end of my senior year of college, I coined the word "linguisticness" to serve as my username, which has worked well on many a platform, despite my not having taken a single class in linguistics. Because, as the author points out, you don't have to speak multiple languages or find yourself among the academics or upper classes of society to understand and influence how language is spoken, written, and used. One of the only things on Facebook I have still found worthwhile and fun in recent years has been reading the threads in a group called Linguistics Shitposting ['ʃɪt̚.,pʰʌ̈̈ʊ̈̈.stɪ̃̃ŋ] and its spinoff group, Linguistics Kidposting. I don't know how to read IPA (the International Phonetic Alphabet, which you see used in many dictionaries' pronunciation guides) yet, but it's not too late for me to take a deeper dive into linguistics proper. This book is definitely not that. It is a short collection of essays, each of which are broken up into their own chapters (which may turn some readers off), on mostly popular subjects such as the three titular words like, literally, and dude, as well as the singular third person pronoun they/them, the gendered differences of both influence on common [English] language trends throughout history and misogynist criticisms of uptalk and vocal fry.
May 21, 2023
In a light, personal, informal tone, Fridland explains linguistic descriptivist background of several contemporary stylistic and syntactical controversies in English speech. Eight numbered, titled chapters (plus an introduction and summary) organize her sociolinguistic analysis. She defines and uses terms such as disfluency, deontic modality, delexification, periphrastic, and allophones. Among the "Bad English" of the book's subtitle are intensifiers that lose their initial meaning (such as "literally"), many uses of the personal pronoun "they" in singular contexts, and "dude" as a term of address. Footnotes and endnotes reference scholarly studies to complement the numerous examples from contemporary and historical English speech and conversation.
Fridland summarizes her goal near the end of the final chapter, "Linguistic Badasses": "to share the fascinating stories that brought to life so many of the linguistic features we notice around us and to present contemporary research that explains why they have become so useful and popular today. Perhaps seeing the commonalities between the development of such features with those from yesteryear once considered uncouth and improper will allow for more empathy toward those who take up the linguistic vanguard."
Fridland summarizes her goal near the end of the final chapter, "Linguistic Badasses": "to share the fascinating stories that brought to life so many of the linguistic features we notice around us and to present contemporary research that explains why they have become so useful and popular today. Perhaps seeing the commonalities between the development of such features with those from yesteryear once considered uncouth and improper will allow for more empathy toward those who take up the linguistic vanguard."
March 13, 2024
I listened to this as an audiobook. The disparate narrators definitely highlighted the focus of each section rather well. Much like John McWhorter, the author is a proponent of grammatical and linguistic growth and flexibility. Language changes over time. Being hidebound does not serve the overall purpose of language, which is to communicate. As life changes so should our language.
Totally loved the section on the possible evolutionary explanation of the word “Dude”. Solid exploration of verbal pauses and signifiers (Ummm, Errr, Like). I was a little disappointed that she didn’t go into the morphology of “literally”. I somewhat expected that considering the title. That really is my only complaint here.
If you live language and like understanding why certain words and phrases enter the language, and sometimes change their actual meanings as they hang around, this is definitely a fun read.
Oh, and if you have some peeves about the misuse of “literally” McWhorter discusses that in several of his works, :)
Totally loved the section on the possible evolutionary explanation of the word “Dude”. Solid exploration of verbal pauses and signifiers (Ummm, Errr, Like). I was a little disappointed that she didn’t go into the morphology of “literally”. I somewhat expected that considering the title. That really is my only complaint here.
If you live language and like understanding why certain words and phrases enter the language, and sometimes change their actual meanings as they hang around, this is definitely a fun read.
Oh, and if you have some peeves about the misuse of “literally” McWhorter discusses that in several of his works, :)
May 26, 2025
Another fun romp through linguistic history. I've read a lot of these sorts of books so some of the info wasn't entirely new to me, but it's always fun to be reminded of things you've forgotten. I enjoyed how it was structured, around specific traits of so-called "bad" English. I enjoyed the playful writing -- the audiobook narrator was fantastic in this regard as well -- and laughed out loud many times. While I don't agree with all of her conclusions, I do advocate for a healthy appreciation of the malleability of English; the inherent flexibility of our language makes it strong and agile enough to be a lingua franca and keep pace with each new generation's creativity. Just makes me deeply appreciative to be a native English speaker. Really fun read for language nerds out there!!
March 18, 2024
This book was an incredibly educational look at the histories and trends of speech habits used today.
I definitely use ‘dude’ and ‘literally’ and, like, totally have some vocal fry going on. I have also struggled grammatically over using ‘they’ in the singular form. But to learn how such habits came to be and understand the world is full of changing language and always has been was positively fascinating.
This is a book I want to read again (there is a ~lot~ of good info to take in). It’s already helped evolve how I view how people converse today. Bonus point: the writer lives in my city!!!
I definitely use ‘dude’ and ‘literally’ and, like, totally have some vocal fry going on. I have also struggled grammatically over using ‘they’ in the singular form. But to learn how such habits came to be and understand the world is full of changing language and always has been was positively fascinating.
This is a book I want to read again (there is a ~lot~ of good info to take in). It’s already helped evolve how I view how people converse today. Bonus point: the writer lives in my city!!!
November 5, 2023
LOVED this book! So interesting and witty. I HIGHLY recommend the audio version because then you can listen to the different accents. But most importantly, you can listen to them read the correct pronunciation of Middle English. ❤️ I loved learning about the evolution of English.
(Confession: I had the biggest crush on a guy in my freshman English class. We were studying The Canterbury Tales and the professor randomly asked if anyone had learned how to read Middle English. This one guy raised his hand and started reading the prologue. My nerdy heart almost exploded in amazement.)
This book is well organized. Each chapter is an exploration into the evolution of English, specifically slang.
(Confession: I had the biggest crush on a guy in my freshman English class. We were studying The Canterbury Tales and the professor randomly asked if anyone had learned how to read Middle English. This one guy raised his hand and started reading the prologue. My nerdy heart almost exploded in amazement.)
This book is well organized. Each chapter is an exploration into the evolution of English, specifically slang.
September 23, 2024
This book outlines the importance of the English language and linguistics as a whole as it shapes social meaning, syntactic meaning, and of course- communication. I am guilty of being a stickler about grammar, the child of 2 librarians and one being a former English teacher. But this book opened my eyes to the importance of language as a social player, and the truth that English has never been a static language. The evolution of language is so important- especially in English! New terms and slang are crucial to the English we have today, and the English we will have in the future!
This particular text paired really well with the new curriculum I am using in my classroom to support dyslexic students. I have learned so much about how the way our mouth moves can affect how language evolves, and how the subtle pronunciation mishaps can change language as a whole. It’s fascinating! If you ever wonder about the history of the English language that is not too dense, this is a great place to start.
This particular text paired really well with the new curriculum I am using in my classroom to support dyslexic students. I have learned so much about how the way our mouth moves can affect how language evolves, and how the subtle pronunciation mishaps can change language as a whole. It’s fascinating! If you ever wonder about the history of the English language that is not too dense, this is a great place to start.
January 25, 2024
- I’m a nerd for conversation about linguistics & how we say what we mean in different ways!
- an exploration & a celebration of why we say what we say
- a few in the weeds moments that are not the most exciting but provide a solid argument for letting people communicate in a way that reflects them / their cultures / their value systems + more
- another recommendation if you like this (or want to compare it) is Wordslut
- *change is inevitable & we’ve got to learn to move with it*
- an exploration & a celebration of why we say what we say
- a few in the weeds moments that are not the most exciting but provide a solid argument for letting people communicate in a way that reflects them / their cultures / their value systems + more
- another recommendation if you like this (or want to compare it) is Wordslut
- *change is inevitable & we’ve got to learn to move with it*
June 27, 2023
I love linguistics and how language evolves over time. There was a lot of really fascinating information in this book. I could have done without most of the pop culture references. I’m sure most peope understand them better than I do, but I was often lost on those. Also way too many footnotes as asides.
June 11, 2024
2.8 stars.
The first part of the book was wildly interesting, but all the logic and factual backup went out the window in the second part of the book, when it turned into a rant based solely on the author's own opinion. For this reason, I would have given it a two star rating, but the first five or so chapters were so well written and researched that I had to give it another .8 of a star.
The first part of the book was wildly interesting, but all the logic and factual backup went out the window in the second part of the book, when it turned into a rant based solely on the author's own opinion. For this reason, I would have given it a two star rating, but the first five or so chapters were so well written and researched that I had to give it another .8 of a star.
June 25, 2023
This book was fascinating to me. Can’t wait to discuss with my book group!
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August 23, 2023Some interesting insights into the way language develops.
September 14, 2023
This was a really interesting book. I really appreciated the chapter on They. Also just learning to be okay with language changing.
October 3, 2023
Sociolinguistics is a fascinating area of study, and I enjoyed this immensely. I learned so much, and a subject that can be quite dense was written in a funny and easy to understand manner. Would recommend to any language lover out there!
November 5, 2023
If you want to know how Buffy the Vampire Slayer can be seen as a study in linguistics or that the non-binary singular "they" was brought to England by the Vikings, then this is the book for you.
April 24, 2024
This was, like, really interesting. No but for real sorry to my girlfriend and my roommate for giving them the play-by-play of this entire book because I found it all so fascinating and simply had to share my new knowledge.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews