THE FUNCTION OF LIKE IN DIALOG

Two bodies of Scottish English data are analysed. There are two major constructions with LIKE. The one with clause-final LIKE is used to (an ticipate and) counter (possible) objections and assumptions; the secon d one, with LIKE in other positions, is analysed as non-contrastive fo cus, a highlighting device. The structures are not verbal tics but fol low regular patterns with regular functions. They are not associated w ith hesitations and poor syntactic planning. They are far more frequen t than clefts, possibly because they do not disrupt the syntax of a gi ven construction. The structure is far from new but previous accounts either limit themselves to one particular function absent from the Sco ttish English data (see Romaine and Lange, 1991) or operate with a rat her vague analytical concept (see Schourup, 1985).