# What is this linguistic phenomenon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-linguistic-phenomenon/938039 "2021-03-16T18:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 61
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-linguistic-phenomenon/938039/61 "2021-03-17T14:03:26Z")
Anyway, here’s a thread for the literally discussion, and even there I say “we’ve gone over this a zillion times.” Should be up there with “Rio” or something. > [@Literally means figuratively](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literally-means-figuratively/761546/69): > > That’s a meaningless comment, since linguistics as a science is empirical and objective. If some aspect of language is in common use, linguistics may interest itself in this empirical fact, but not in passing judgment on it. Science doesn’t have “sides” – it observes and reports. And no one denies that this usage of “literally” is quite widespread. Whether one might personally regard such usage as stupid and regressive is a different matter. Linguists [can be mercilessly critical of poor…](http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/) --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-linguistic-phenomenon/938039)._