Language history and we: the case of “like”
I am against institutional language standards that exist in some languages, because using the language freely how you want is a part of basic freedom. That being said, speaking with some level of control lets us exchange thoughts in a more organized way, and not just the same bag of soundbites all the time. It also shows, as a small thing, that we value striving for some improvement.<p>It feels that it becomes an increasingly minority position, and what&#x27;s left in the discussion is at best intelligentsia&#x27;s coping mechanisms making use of isolated facts of history. Yes, there were always &quot;lowbrow&quot; language and culture, but what matters is the context of the whole stylistic gradient functioning. Of course there has been some legitimacy in these changes initially, when compared strictly to the oppressive, conformist &quot;bourgeois&quot; &quot;high modern&quot; culture of let&#x27;s say 1850-1950. History moves in random directions, so who knows.