Title: Like, Literally, Dude
Author: Valerie Fridland
Genre: Nonfiction, Reference, Informative
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 18 Apr 2023
StoryGraph* Moods: Informative, Funny, Lighthearted
How I Stumbled Upon This Book: Armchair Expert interview
Other Books by this author: A textbook called Language and Society: What Your Speech Says About You
*StoryGraph also offers content warnings.
Description: From Bookshop.org: “In Like, Literally, Dude, linguist Valerie Fridland shows how we can re-imagine [things that may annoy us about language] 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.”
‘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.”
Why I recommend this book: Ok – I know – why on Earth would anyone want to read a book about language? This isn’t school. I hear you. But.
If you’ve ever been annoyed by someone with too many ‘ums’ and ‘uhs’ peppered into their speech, or by that person who drops ‘like’ and ‘literally’ like glitter at a child’s craft table – this book could help you understand why someone might use these devices. Turns out – they are handier than we give them credit for. Learning about them can take the edge of the rage they induce.
And as a word nerd, I loved every page of this book. It’s interesting. If you’re not a nerd about words, and you’re interested in the topic, but not enough to read an entire book about it – start with the Armchair Expert episode I linked above. I promise, after listening, you’ll want to give the book a chance.
“These ideas about what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’ were very much influenced by who was steering English as it emerged from the shadow of classical languages.”
“The difference between the features we embrace and those we can’t tolerate is really just one of power and perspective.”
~ Valerie Fridland, Like, Literally, Dude
Ami Maxine 