Marshall,
Synchronically, I'd argue that there's a register difference, as you
suggest, between A and B and that "as" and "like" are both
subordinators. In C, "the way" is the head noun modified by an
asyndetic relative clause, that is, a clause that doesn't start with
"that" or one of the wh-relative words. Functionally, "the way" may be
on its way to becoming a subordinator in its own right, but I don't
think it's shifted that far yet.
Diachronically it gets interesting because "like" comes from Old English
"lic", which meant "body". We derive both "like" and the suffix -ly
from "lic." That is, a noun has gradually morphed into a
/conjunction/preposition and into a suffix. "The way" is acting as if
it's at the beginning of such a change. That suggests that at some
time, and, perhaps, for some speakers already, "the way" has ceased to
be an ordinary noun phrase.
Herb
Fellow Grammarians,
Let me ask about a related subject. Look at the following constructions.
I consider them to be paraphrases of each other. Granted, the first is
probably more acceptable in academic English, the second is more
conversational (some of you may remember the Winston cigarette
commercial: "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. It may be bad
grammar, but it's great taste."). The third, I'm not sure about.
I see the first as using "as" as a subordinator. In the second, I see
"like" also as a subordinator. What I am not sure about is the third
one. Is "the way" acting as a subordinator? They all seem to have the
same structure, but do they?
A. He thinks as I do.
B. He thinks like I do.
C. He thinks the way I do.
Marshall
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