Word On The Street: Debunking The Myth Of A Pure Standard EnglishThough there is a contingent of linguists who fight the fact, our language is always changing -- not only through slang, but sound, syntax, and words' meanings as well. Debunking the myth of "pure" standard English, tackling controversial positions, and eschewing politically correct arguments, linguist John McWhorter considers speech patterns and regional accents to demonstrate just how the changes do occur. Wielding reason and humor, McWhorter ultimately explains why we must embrace these changes, ultimately revealing our American English in all its variety, expressiveness, and power. |
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... seen that languages constantly erode sounds over time. What we did not see is that we can never predict exactly what the result of a given erosion is going to be. For example, in Latin, habere “to have” was pronounced “habehray.” Each ...
... seen that languages constantly erode sounds over time. What we did not see is that we can never predict exactly what the result of a given erosion is going to be. For example, in Latin, habere “to have” was pronounced “habehray.” Each ...
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... least not anymore. All five are end products of separate branches of Old English. Thus standard English is not the source of the other four; it is just one of many branches of Old English (as shown in this figure). As we have seen, ...
... least not anymore. All five are end products of separate branches of Old English. Thus standard English is not the source of the other four; it is just one of many branches of Old English (as shown in this figure). As we have seen, ...
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... seen, there is simply no logical way in which standard English is any way “primal” or “ideal” or “first”—in no sense, for example, has standard English diverged less from Old English than the others have. Old English is equally alien to ...
... seen, there is simply no logical way in which standard English is any way “primal” or “ideal” or “first”—in no sense, for example, has standard English diverged less from Old English than the others have. Old English is equally alien to ...
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Word On The Street: Debunking The Myth Of A Pure Standard English John Mcwhorter Limited preview - 2000 |
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