Analysis Of Text Analysis

Rollins’ article is an easy-to-read examination of a common Southern utterance. The text is well-researched and extremely readable, providing insight into the growth of this phenomenon. His constant examples make his claims easy to understand and often invoke the thought that reader has said or heard a similar phrase before. For those who use the phrase be like as a quotative, the article provides an excellent explanation of its origins, possibilities, and meanings. Rollins combines an English education and his experience teaching college and high school students in the deep South to identify and discuss an interesting use of the word like. In this article, he examines the evolution of like, moving away from its traditional definition as …show more content…
Though he targets the South, he pulls from studies by Romaine and Lange (1991), Blyth et al. (1990), Cukor-Avila (2002), Ferrara and Bell (1995), Dailey-O 'Cain (2000), Winter (2002), Tagliamonte and Hudson (1999), Macaulay (2001), Miller and Weinert (1995), and Golato (2000) to identify where the phrase is used. They extend far beyond the South, ranging from Michigan to Australia. He also uses these studies to examine who is using the phrase in addition to where the phrase is being used. Drawing upon the research of Ferrara and Bell (1995) and Cukor-Avila (2000), Rollins asserts that the phrase is predominantly used by middle to upper class whites in urban environments but is also spreading to rural areas and becoming more common among African America and Hispanic populations. Rollins also introduces his own original research in this section by drawing upon interviews he conducted. So while Rollins’ article does focus on the South, he makes it clear that be like transcends regional and societal boundaries, making his article applicable for and interesting to many readers outside his