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Words on the Move: Why English Won't—and Can't—Sit Still (Like, Literally) by John McWhorter
seclement's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really interesting book that I think every cranky grammarian prescriptivist should read, particularly those who think people should speak the Queen's (or even King's) English. If their minds were open to it, they would have to, at the very admit, that evolution of language is a certain fact and that they are definitely not speaking the traditional, time tested language they think they are. The problem, of course, is that people like that generally don't let their minds open to such revelations, so the book may not have its intended effect, but instead merely reinforce the beliefs of both sides of the spectrum (no prizes for guessing where I sit). If you listen to the author's podcast, Lexicon Valley, this book really doesn't offer anything above and beyond what is already in that podcast, but it does have the advantage of providing all that information in a condensed form. It's written as he speaks, and is thus a very accessible and witty book, with a few lame jokes but also some genuine chuckles. If you are a language lover, I definitely recommend this book and the podcast, with one additional caveat: it's very American centric. The principles of the book apply to all English speakers; however, if you are one of those people who think Americans "butcher"the language, then you may be closed to its messages.
madhamster's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating. My years of language study don't always help me with pronunciation, as I don't live in the US.
Good explanation to language change.
Good explanation to language change.
kathleenww's review against another edition
5.0
For some reason, I put this book down right in the middle and it took me a few weeks to pick it up again--but it wasn't because it wasn't really good! i'm just busy. This book has so many great tidbits of information, and a persuasive argument about why language is always fluid and in motion, especially this language"; English.. McWhorter uses his extensive study of linguistics and sense of humor to convince us that there IS room for new words and grammar usage in our old language, and that the changes we are seeing every decade and century have been going on since our language was born into being, as anyone who has read Beowulf, or Chaucer, or Shakespeare can plainly see.. It includes the evolution of words like suspects, like, and even tree! This book is small enough to read in a few sittings, but enough to convince anyone interested or suspect of language change to simply enjoy the ride and the many fascinating aspects of the phenomenon.
Thank you to NetGalley for the free electronic galley of this wonderful book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the free electronic galley of this wonderful book.
mjs_18's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Detailed, funny, informative, well-written.
shoelessmama's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
Not my favorite book by this author but it's a favorite subject for me and I will never tire of it. Lots of silly dad jokes sprinkled through out... some I even chuckled at.
slanderoid's review against another edition
funny
informative
fast-paced
2.25
Eventually just turns into a list of words and stops being engaging
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
A lot to unpack from this not very big book. First of all I put it down for over a week, it was a bit tedious and I had other books I had to get through. But I got back to it eventually. And like the last language book I read, it felt for a bit like I wasn't the target audience. And then maybe I was. Everything in this book belabors its point. But since its a point I've been ignoring, I guess it just had to try harder. Language moves. Okay I believe it now. Don't know what I'm going to do with that fact, perhaps learn to read and write emojis. It was a fascinating book and I learned a lot though whether I'll retain it isn't clear. 3.5 of 5.