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In 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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Previews available in: English
Subjects
Black English, United States, Americanisms, Social aspects, Spoken English, English language, Language and culture, Languages, Variation, African Americans, Social aspects of English language, Dialectology, Sociolinguistics, Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy, Language Arts & Disciplines, American English, English, Language, LinguisticsPlaces
United StatesShowing 3 featured editions. View all 3 editions?
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1
Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of "Pure" Standard English
January 23, 2001, Perseus Books Group
Paperback
in English
0738204463 9780738204468
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2
The word on the street: debunking the myth of "pure" standard English
2000, Perseus Pub.
in English
0738204463 9780738204468
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3
The word on the street: fact and fable about American English
1998, Plenum Trade
in English
0306459949 9780306459948
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- Created April 29, 2008
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July 31, 2019 | Edited by MARC Bot | associate edition with work OL109621W |
August 6, 2010 | Edited by IdentifierBot | added LibraryThing ID |
April 24, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs. |
April 16, 2010 | Edited by bgimpertBot | Added goodreads ID. |
April 29, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from amazon.com record |