The Use of Like in Modern English

The word's incredible flexibility is nothing new either. Most people think the word like dates back to the eighties, as typified by the frank zapper song valley girl. In shakespeare's twelfth night, written at the start of the seventeenth century, valentine says the sasari,. If the duke continue these favours toward you, cesario, you are like to be much advanced. The linguist anato liberman, says that this version of like was being used as a shorthand for likely and may be the beginnings of our contemporary usage.