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[Royal☭]

I literally could care less about the whole deal.

That is some next level shit there.

[Zaratustra]

So right now, Gawker's running a "Privilege Tournament". Not about who has the most privilege, but who has the least privilege.

No, I'm not going to link it.

that privilege is so troll

[Pacobird]

Guess what: "literally" has been used as an intensifier, literally, since the 1700s.

And even if it hadn't, no language is static, unless it's dead. Words change their meaning all the time, but I guess pedantic jerks have to find something to snark about or they will literally explode.

The problem I have with this is that using "literally" in this way, is meant as hyperbole, an exaggeration. The whole reason it WORKS is because it means what it meant before this change. A person saying a guy is "literally a greyhound" or that a heavy object weighs "literally a ton" do not mean "metaphorically", they mean "literally" and are simply exaggerating to stress a point.

Changing to this new meaning makes the the word "literally" more confusing than it needs to be for no reason and also changes the meaning of what everyone who uses the word incorrectly is saying. This is a foolish change and makes me think even less of the oxford dictionary than I already did as its editors apparently haven't ever heard of exaggeration or know what it means.

or you could just not say "literally" when it means "this exact fucking thing I am saying right now"

the definition of "literally" you're promoting is redundant and useless, and if there is a use for it other than being a condescending buffoon i don't see it very often

no wonder people are so grumpy about it

[Kazz]

i noticed this a few years ago but Merriam Webster has it so that "literally" means "really" and "not really"

let's just forget the word altogether ok

[MarsDragon]

what are we gonna use for "with no figure of language or exaggeration" now tho

Right, that's exactly the fucking point.  If the word "literally" now means "not literally", then what the fuck word means "literally"?

It's a word where there's really no other convenient English equivalent, being used to mean its own complete opposite.  It's like if people started using "bullshit" to describe honest and accurate information.

It's not like English has an entire LIST of words like that, oh no.

[Bal]

I guess Thad thinks that it's literally the exception that proves the rule.

[A²]

This is literally the dumbest argument these forums have ever had.

[Brentai]

I do think language has adapted somewhat to this very human tendency to abuse adjectives for intensification.  Most people won't say "literally <x>" when they actually want to say literally for this very reason; they'll say "an actual <x>", "a real, no-bullshit <x>", or even "an <x>, literally" (putting the word after seems to nullify the intensification aspect and makes the word mean what it really means, for whatever reason).  We just have to accept that in 2013 American English, "literally <x>" is just one more of those idioms that happens to look like a parsable phrase.

[Ted Belmont]

Why Chris Traeger is LITERALLY my favorite character on Parks and Recreation

[Mongrel]

Language gon' languish.

_{Not really, but that's the only pun that works}

[Disposable Ninja]

When I saw this thread I thought it was about cow feces, and the effect it has on the environment or something.

[Büge]

[Ted Belmont]

Man, Phil Fish has gotten angry since he canceled Fez 2.