The Word On The StreetIn The Word on the Street, John McWhorter reveals our American English in all its variety, beauty, and expressiveness. Debunking the myth of a "pure" standard English, he considers the speech patterns and accents of many regions and ethnic groups in the U.S. and demonstrates how language evolves. He takes up the tricky question of gender-neutral pronouns. He dares to ask, "Should we translate Shakespeare?" Focusing on whether how our children speak determines how they learn, he presents the controversial Ebonics debate in light of his research on dialects and creoles. The Word on the Street frees us to truly speak our minds. It is John McWhorter's answer to William Safire, transformed here into everybody's Aunt Lucy, who insists on correcting our grammar and making us feel slightly embarrassed about our everyday use of the language. ("To whom," she will insist, and "don't split your infinitives!") He reminds us that we'd better accept the fact that language is always changing - not only slang, but sound, syntax, and words' meanings - and get on with the business of communicating effectively with one another. |
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Page 9
... vowels meant that the vowel was a long one rather than short : Hläf would have been pronounced " hlaahf . " This ... vowel . Ful was " foul , " while ful was “ full . ” Yet this is " English , " as it was spoken in A.D. 1000. The ...
... vowels meant that the vowel was a long one rather than short : Hläf would have been pronounced " hlaahf . " This ... vowel . Ful was " foul , " while ful was “ full . ” Yet this is " English , " as it was spoken in A.D. 1000. The ...
Page 14
... vowel in name is nothing like the a we write . It is really two sounds : " eh " plus " ee " - " neh - eem . " This ... vowel sound , but rather like " bay - uhd " —again , two vowel 14 The Word on the Street.
... vowel in name is nothing like the a we write . It is really two sounds : " eh " plus " ee " - " neh - eem . " This ... vowel sound , but rather like " bay - uhd " —again , two vowel 14 The Word on the Street.
Page 164
... vowels in standard English into one , as in " ras " for rice . This , again , is geared toward a parallel with African languages , in which sequences of two vowels are avoided in favor of one vowel at a time ( CV instead of CVV ) ...
... vowels in standard English into one , as in " ras " for rice . This , again , is geared toward a parallel with African languages , in which sequences of two vowels are avoided in favor of one vowel at a time ( CV instead of CVV ) ...
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Lava Lamps and Language | 7 |
The Linguistic Melting Pot | 35 |
Copyright | |
8 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Word On The Street: Debunking The Myth Of A Pure Standard English John Mcwhorter Limited preview - 2000 |
Word On The Street: Debunking The Myth Of A Pure Standard English John Mcwhorter Limited preview - 2009 |
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