| Actually, now it does. I listened to the "Hidden Brain" podcast on language and John McWhorter, the noted linguist at Columbia University, explained that the word is now an example of a contronym--a word that has two opposite meanings. Popular usage ultimately determines meaning. I certainly have always thought "literally" was not acceptable as an intensifier or qualifier, but, per McWhorter (who is a smart scholar), it now is. Usage outweighs origin or prescription. |
