Do we, like, overuse like?

Like like-minded linguists have said, the word "like" is, like, among the most versatile of words - like the Swiss Army Knife of modern American linguistics. I think we like it?

Hosted by Dr. Erica Brozovsky, Otherwords is a PBS web series on Storied that digs deep into this quintessential human trait of language and finds the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fields of biology, history, cultural studies, literature, and more, linguistics has something for everyone and offers a unique perspective on what it means to be human.

Otherwords is a production of Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

[PrinzessinSchuhkarton]

Like yes but like it isn’t like i don’t like it or anything like that

[caitlinjones]

Thank you for including all these uses without making some uses "better" than others

[toastyanon]

I know it’s just a video list, but my heart still fluttered a little when I heard that Dr B “Like like-likes” me

[beetlesaretrying]

An attention focuser! I knew there just had to be a word for something like that.

[just_sum_punk]

You're my favorite linguistics series online, Dr. Erica! Keep being you!

[hootsiferclawthorne]

If adding like to make like-like changes the verb, could like also be considered an adverb?

[Gebohq]

And if you're a Zelda fan, don't forget about Like-Likes!

[chainsawcharle]

The Valley Girls called. They want their "like" back.

[heikachan]

Like I don't understand? Likely. Like you can see, English isn't my native language, like for most people in the world. Like 👍

[kanabhprates]

Ok, Dr. Erica, I may "like" like you as well 😊

[magslay]

Joke is, like, on you. I already liked the video before watching it!

[BebbaDubbs]

I could not form "like" as a child. So I had to learn all sorts of vocabulary 😅

[brianarbenz]

Don’t forget a proper noun: 🎶 _The name of the place is, “I Like It Like That.”_

[QueenN]

Didn’t realize like had so many uses. Another use: as part of a hyphenated compound word. Ex. The like-minded.

[neithernorman]

Who art thou and why dost thou teach me of this tongue I never knew I needed?

[robertrowan]

A true Saturday night noughties McGuiness(ism) went something like, "No likey, no lighty." Now where do we get things like that from? Man-O Man of course.

[billyfox]

Number 9 was the Northern English sentence ender, but you went about as Southern English as you can get. 😂 It's interesting to see it acknowledged at all by a foreigner, though.

[kairinase]

Don't make my mistake...

In Malay, the there's the word "pun"(pronounced "pown"), and it's a conjunction that has the same meaning of the word "like".

Me, being a naive 10 year old at that time, wrote a composition without using that single conjunction, and was reprimanded by the teacher.

"I thought"pun" was loaned from a foreign language, so I didn't use it", and my teacher replied: "It's a conjunction, you can use it how much you like, as long as it fits the grammar".

So, don't, make my mistake, use how many likes, whatever you want as long as it fits.

[davidcassell]

This is why I like your videos, and... like... why I left you a like.

[R.Merkhet]

This would be maddening for an ESL student😅