Words on the Move: Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally) - Hardcover

McWhorter, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1627794719 ISBN 13: 9781627794718

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co., 2016

Synopsis

A bestselling linguist takes us on a lively tour of how the English language is evolving before our eyes -- and why we should embrace this transformation and not fight it

Language is always changing -- but we tend not to like it. We understand that new words must be created for new things, but the way English is spoken today rubs many of us the wrong way. Whether it’s the use of literally to mean “figuratively” rather than “by the letter,” or the way young people use LOL and like, or business jargon like What’s the ask? -- it often seems as if the language is deteriorating before our eyes.

But the truth is different and a lot less scary, as John McWhorter shows in this delightful and eye-opening exploration of how English has always been in motion and continues to evolve today. Drawing examples from everyday life and employing a generous helping of humor, he shows that these shifts are a natural process common to all languages, and that we should embrace and appreciate these changes, not condemn them.

Words on the Move opens our eyes to the surprising backstories to the words and expressions we use every day. Did you know that silly once meant “blessed”? Or that ought was the original past tense of owe? Or that the suffix -ly in adverbs is actually a remnant of the word like? And have you ever wondered why some people from New Orleans sound as if they come from Brooklyn?

McWhorter encourages us to marvel at the dynamism and resilience of the English language, and his book offers a lively journey through which we discover that words are ever on the move and our lives are all the richer for it.

About this title

About the Author:

John McWhorter is an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University and is the author of more than fifteen books, including The Language Hoax, The Power of Babel, and Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue. He writes for TIME, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic, and his articles have also appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and The Daily Beast.

Review:

“John McWhorter’s Words on the Move has a deeper point than most language books: it’s focused on the ordinary words which do most of the grunt work of communicating, but which we rarely give much thought to. It’s full of little puzzles and surprises that stop us in our tracks and make us aware of the gentle breezes that are always blowing our words hither and yon. McWhorter is awfully good at listening to words and at explaining what he hears there, and his book is so brimming with insights that even as a linguist, I found myself stopping every couple of pages to say to myself, ‘Huh―I never thought of that.’ So will you.”
--Geoffrey Nunberg, linguist on NPR’s “Fresh Air” and author of Going Nucular and Ascent of the A-Word

“If you want to hate on new developments in English, you should at least understand why. With a combination of linguistic erudition and ready wit, John McWhorter takes us on a tour of a thousand years of the history of English, showing how language change is natural, unavoidable, and fascinating. You’ll come away with a better realization of why you feel the way you do―and why you shouldn’t.”
--Jesse Sheidlower, author of The F-Word, former editor at large of the Oxford English Dictionary, and past president of the American Dialect Society

“Witty and wise, John McWhorter’s Words on the Move is an adventure and a romp, full of surprises and delights. If you love language, you will love this book. You’ll never think of language in the same way again.”
--Deborah Tannen, university professor and professor of linguistics, Georgetown University, and author of You Just Don’t Understand

“An unintimidating welcome to readers new to the subject that pleasantly relaxes the discourse of grammar propriety.”―Publishers Weekly

“Fascinating.... McWhorter proves to be a well-informed and cheerful guide to linguistics.... enthusiastically mak[ing] the case that language is fluid.”―Kirkus Reviews

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1627794719
• ISBN 13: 9781627794718
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272