The Soft Power of Like

Slate Debates

Slate Podcasts

Society & Culture, News

4.6 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2019

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Terms such as "like" and "sort of" are ways for English speakers to sound more polite. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Email: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The following podcast contains explicit language.
0:08.0	From New York City, this is Lexicon Valley.
0:10.7	I'm John McWater, and you know what we're going to start with today.
0:14.8	Let's listen to an exchange between Nathaniel and Heather on the late
0:22.0	great crazy ex-girlfriend.
0:24.6	This is from the final season, magnificently peculiar as always.
0:30.6	And here is Nathaniel having a problem asking for something.
0:36.1	Listen here.
0:37.1	What happened?
0:39.1	I forgot to charge my car and now I'm out of juice.
0:41.5	I've been trying to get an Uber, but these idiot drivers keep canceling on me.
0:44.8	Huh, you must have a bad rating.
0:47.4	The ratings go both ways. Socialists.
0:50.3	Okay, good catching up, bye-bye.
0:51.6	No, wait, wait, wait.
0:53.8	Can I have a ride?
0:57.1	Sorry.
0:59.1	Can I have a ride, please?
1:00.8	And thank you.
1:02.7	So you start with the default, can I have a ride?
1:05.8	And then his idea is that to make it better, to be more polite, he should have said,
1:11.7	can I have a ride, please?
	...

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