John Mcwhorter: 13 books
Talking Back, Talking Black
Truths About America's Lingua Franca
Language: English
Release Date: December 19, 2016
“Superb.” —Steven Pinker
“An explanation, a defense, and, most heartening, a celebration. . . . McWhorter demonstrates the ‘legitimacy’ of Black English by uncovering its complexity and sophistication, as well as the still unfolding journey that has led to its creation. . . . [His]...
All about the Beat
Why Hip-Hop Can't Save Black America
Language: English
Release Date: June 19, 2008
The bestselling commentator, hailed for his frank and fearless arguments on race, imparts a scathing look at the hypocrisy of hip-hop—and why its popularity proves that black America must overhaul its politics.
One of the most outspoken voices in America’s cultural dialogues, John McWhorter...
Winning the Race
Beyond the Crisis in Black America
Language: English
Release Date: December 29, 2005
In his first major book on the state of black America since the New York Times bestseller Losing the Race, John McWhorter argues that a renewed commitment to achievement and integration is the only cure for the crisis in the African-American community.
Winning the Race examines the roots of...
What Language Is
And What It Isn't and What It Could Be
Language: English
Release Date: February 12, 2013
New York Times bestselling author and renowned linguist, John McWhorter, explores the complicated and fascinating world of languages. From Standard English to Black English; obscure tongues only spoken by a few thousand people in the world to the big ones like Mandarin - What Language Is celebrates...
by John McWhorter
Language: English
Release Date: January 27, 2003
Language: English
Release Date: January 27, 2003
The critically acclaimed book from the bestselling author of Losing the Race and The Power of Babel
John McWhorter is one of the most original and provocative thinkers on the issue of race in America today. In Authentically Black McWhorter argues that although African-Americans stress hard...
Language Interrupted
Signs of Non-Native Acquisition in Standard Language Grammars
Language: English
Release Date: June 18, 2007
Foreigners often say that English language is "easy." A language like Spanish is challenging in its variety of verb endings (the verb speak is conjugated hablo, hablas, hablamos), and gender for nouns, whereas English is more straight forward (I speak, you speak, we speak). But linguists...
Words on the Move
Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally)
Language: English
Release Date: September 6, 2016
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,...
Word On The Street
Debunking The Myth Of A Pure Standard English
Language: English
Release Date: March 6, 2009
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,...
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue
The Untold History of English
Language: English
Release Date: October 30, 2008
A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar
Why do we say “I am reading a catalog” instead of “I read a catalog”? Why do we say “do” at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these...
The Politically Correct University
Problems, Scope, and Reforms
Language: English
Release Date: October 16, 2009
The Politically Correct University shows how the universities' quest for 'diversity' has produced in too many departments a stifling uniformity of thought. Required reading for those who want American universities to eschew political correctness." — Michael Barone, resident fellow, American Enterprise Institute
by John H. McWhorter
Language: English
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Language: English
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Japanese has a term that covers both green and blue. Russian has separate terms for dark and light blue. Does this mean that Russians perceive these colors differently from Japanese people? Does language control and limit the way we think? This short, opinionated book addresses the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis,...
by John H. McWhorter
Language: English
Release Date: February 3, 2005
Language: English
Release Date: February 3, 2005
A conventional wisdom among creolists is that creole is a sociohistorical term only: that creole languages share a particular history entailing adults rapidly acquiring a language usually under conditions of subordination, but that structurally they are indistinguishable from other languages. The...
by John H. McWhorter
Language: English
Release Date: May 31, 2018
Language: English
Release Date: May 31, 2018
Creoles have long been the subject of debate in linguistics, with many conflicting views, both on how they are formed, and what their political and linguistic status should be. Indeed, over the past twenty years, some creole specialists have argued that it has been wrong to think of creoles as anything...