Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of "Pure" Standard English

by John Mcwhorter (Author), John McWhorter Ph.D. (Author)

12 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0738204468

ISBN-10: 0738204463

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Though 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.

Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of "Pure" Standard English

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Word on the Street is one of the best books ever written on language and public affairs." -- Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and Words and Rules

About the Author

John McWhorter is Assistant Professor of Linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley. A specialist in pidgin and Creole languages, he lives in Oakland, California.

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Product Details

Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Basic Books (January 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0738204463
ISBN-13: 978-0738204468
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #668 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Linguistics
- #1068 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Linguistics
- #7116 in Books > Reference > Words, Language & Grammar

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Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

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A Great Book for English Nuts

By Christopher G. Rywalt on June 27, 2001

Format: Paperback

This is a great book I wish to recommend to all grammar Nazis. It's going to ruin my copyediting, but it's really turning my head around about English and languages in general.
Essentially, McWhorter goes and beats the ... out of grammarians from the perspective of a linguist. Apparently linguists, who deal with language as it is spoken and written by humans, cannot stand grammarians, who are, to use this book's phrase, ``obscure martinets.''
No little synopsis here can do the book justice. McWhorter has three main discussions, which are great fun. In the first, he talks about the feminist problem -- can we use ``they'' as a singular pronoun? In the second, he argues quite convincingly that it's about time we started translating Shakespeare into a language modern humans speak. And in the third, he discusses Black English, and how it qualifies as a legitimate dialect, every bit as subtle, nuanced, and important as so-called standard English.
But never mind all that. Everyone who plays with language for fun should read the book for this paragraph:
``For example, William F. Buckley is a prime example of someone who is articulate in standard English. Although many of us might bemoan the frigid paleoconservatism of his utterances themselves, there is no denying his enviable agility in wielding vocabulary, syntax, and allusion for all they're worth.''
Paleoconservatism -- now that right there is a great addition to English.

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Is *A Whole Nother* a Legitimate English Phrase?

By Kevin Currie-Knight VINE VOICE on July 24, 2004

Format: Paperback

These are the types of questions John McWhorter sets out to answer. In the process, he will piss off school teachers, grammarians of the rigid sort, those who exalt the Classics solely for their now-essoteric and lofty language, and a slew of others. (Read some of the below reviews for proof).

His basic idea is that there is no such thing as a pure stamdard english and his arguments (as witnessed in the first, and most theoretic, chapter) are quite convincing, though I can't pretend I didn't agree with him going in. Language, instead of being a fixed system with immutable rules, is a pragmatic tool for communication that, like any pragmatic tool, is mutable to the *felt necessities of the times* (O.W. Holmes's phrase).

McWhorter dishes out example after example - English to Spanish to the creole languages of Africa - to show that language is not only always in flux, but many of the changes that would be called *degenerations* now will actually turn out to be... well... improvements. He gives rigorous exampes to show that some of the rules leading to more akward speech, like the rule againts split infinitives or that of never ending sentences with prepositions, were based on arbitrary attempts to cram latin rules onto english and that, particularly in spoken language, have proved to be somewhat futile.

All of this leads to some provocative essays on the practical usage of language. The most provocative of these essays might be the one in which McWhorter makes a strong and reasoned plea to start transforming Shakespeare into more modern prose.Read more ›

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There is indeed no such thing as "pure" standard English

By David Thomson on October 4, 2001

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

John McWhorter convincingly argues that there is no such thing as an absolutist standard English forevermore etched in stone. The very first section of this beautiful book is aptly entitled "Language: A Living Organism." McWhorter takes to task those laboring "under the common illusion that a language ought be a static, unchanging system." It should be immediately added that language is an intrinsically nebulous activity. A word is meaningless unless used in a particular context. Even the infamous "n" word may have a positive connotation when used among friends. So-called Black English is simply another form of communication that pragmatically works for some people. The only valid question is whether these individuals sufficiently understand each other. If the answer is yes, then it minimally qualifies as a language. Alas, every group of people embracing a minority language must compromise and accept a standard language that best responds to the needs of the overall majority. There are, though, no set rules in achieving this goal. A democratically premised culture must do its best to resolve this never ending messy and thankless task. Feelings will inevitably be hurt, and feathers will be ruffled. Democracies are not perfect institutions, only far better than all of the alternatives.
"Put simply, the term language is shorthand for a collection of dialects, of which one happens to be used by the elite and written down, while the others are not," insightfully declares McWhorter. One might also point out that all human beings have the ability to invent a new word. However, others must be converted over to
accepting any such attempt at originality. Words constantly evolve, and some prominent today may disappear tomorrow.Read more ›

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Excellent book for anyone interested in linguistics and language

By R. Allbri on March 21, 2010

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

I believe that every thinking person should read this book (or one a lot like it). As a linguist myself, I love how John has made accessible the ideas of language ideology for the layperson. So much of our research goes unknown by non-linguists that our ideas come as a surprise (and sometimes a shock) when we explain them. You will find a great explanation of why "Standard" language is merely socially constructed and completely arbitrary. You'll also get a healthy dose of historical linguistics, which goes hand-in-hand with showing why the language deemed correct today was likely deemed horrible at some point, and vice-versa. I use this book in my Introduction to Linguistics class and a little in my Introduction to Sociolinguistics class. The explanations are accessible to anyone. I have bought this book for my family members and friends as well because the average person knows little about the science of language. (check out [...] for more fun layperson linguistics.) Learning the currently fashionable grammer in a language is socially important, but that is all. If language is a lava lamp (as he says), grammer is trendy fashion clothing. Read this book to find out why.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Great read

While I originally bought this for a course, it turned out to be super interesting and very easy to understand. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Ginger M.

Great read.

Read this book as part of a class at CU Denver. Great read.

Published 10 months ago by Robert P. Betts

Five Stars

GREAT

Published 23 months ago by Denise Wilson

Verry Funny

This book is especially hilarious when you get to the part of "Black English" or "African American English"

Published on January 3, 2015 by rivlyb

Five Stars

Published on August 29, 2014 by Ana Maria Pera

Flawed Diamond

This is an excellent survey on the status of "Standard English" in comparison to other dialects, particularly Black English. Read more

Published on February 12, 2014 by Robert Sackett

Great book for anyone!

Easy to read and so very interesting. Many things to make you think. McWhorter's writing style is addictive. He keeps you turning pages!

Published on September 16, 2013 by Patty

Please spare me....

What a load of half baked arguments, pretentiousness, and self indulgent tripe. Mr. McWhorter seems to forget there is a real world where correct grammar matters. Read more

Published on September 26, 2002 by Malachai O'Ciadbghaih

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