RealAudio of an NPR story from this morning about how teenagers use the word 'like'...
Yeah, I know it's NPR, but it was kind of interesting, not to mention perplexing that people would actually research such a thing.
"Doctor Muffy Siegel" in the Journal of Semantics. I loathe the rapidfire occurrences of "like" in teenspeak, especially when I hear my contemporaries (geezers) using it. After listening to the clip, I understand how it may be useful (if not warranted) at times but, after "Muffy" the linguist purported to justify the use of "like," I do wish the interviewer would have asked her what people said instead of and prior to the invasion of "like."
Like, thanks for the link.