Scan barcode
mkylm's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Super informative. I didn't realize how much of Black English I knew intrinsically, considering my family never had us speak in Black English. A great reference book. Definitely one I'll add to my bookshelf.
coruscations's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible book and content, but the edition I have badly needed another round of proofreading.
mgouker's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I am a polyglot, love languages, and study how they evolve. I've read dozens of books about language formation and the impact of culture and history on human communication, but this is one of the best. If you do read it, get the audiobook so you can hear McWhorter pronounce the excellent examples of a wide sample of languages that convincingly make the case that there really is so much that is special about Black English, while at the same time making the case that it is just an ordinary language evolution. I learned a lot.
faliiza's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Despite—or maybe because of—being an English major, I have never cried happy tears while reading a book on linguistics. Until now.
McWhorter explains the basics of Black English and how it is separate from Standard American English in a simple and fun way. This book is super informative and thought provoking. In addition to providing insight into Black English, it also made me have some epiphanies of my own language—or should I say languages-Finnish.
Highly recommend!
McWhorter explains the basics of Black English and how it is separate from Standard American English in a simple and fun way. This book is super informative and thought provoking. In addition to providing insight into Black English, it also made me have some epiphanies of my own language—or should I say languages-Finnish.
Highly recommend!
joshuamt's review against another edition
5.0
Succint, with lots of information. Approaches the topic for a linguistic standpoint and comments on the politics thankfully from that perspective. Definite benefit of the audiobook is hearing the author demonstrate the speech examples (standard and alternative forms of English, German, French, among others).
lilgrizzles's review against another edition
5.0
This review is coming from someone not in the linguistic field.
Before this book, I had so many misconceptions about the topic of "Black English" and was worried about the book by the title alone. McWhorter does a very good job of being concise in 1) what is the dialect of Black English 2) how does this compare to standard English, 3) what is not yet understood about Black English, and 4) why this isn't a problem.
It helped me understand some of my biases, and understand people around me that speak the Black English dialect.
For those who aren't in the field, this is a great introduction to the dialect that is so commonly thought as pure mistakes and slang.
Before this book, I had so many misconceptions about the topic of "Black English" and was worried about the book by the title alone. McWhorter does a very good job of being concise in 1) what is the dialect of Black English 2) how does this compare to standard English, 3) what is not yet understood about Black English, and 4) why this isn't a problem.
It helped me understand some of my biases, and understand people around me that speak the Black English dialect.
For those who aren't in the field, this is a great introduction to the dialect that is so commonly thought as pure mistakes and slang.
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve been interested in sociolinguistics for a while, but am just now starting to read books about how language is used. After binging both of the books from Amanda Montell, she recommended checking out some stuff from John McWhorter. Being half Black and having family from all different areas, I thought it’d be interesting to learn more about “talking Black”. Not only that, but there are so many ridiculous biases and assumptions about how Black people talk. Hands down, this book from John McWhorter is a must-read for just about everyone. McWhorter goes thought the history of talking Black and argues that it’s actually more complex than how we typically speak. McWhorter does an excellent job breaking down why it’s silly to assume someone’s intelligence based on how they speak, but more importantly, he dives into some nuanced conversations about racial issues as well.
I loved this book and can’t wait to read more of McWhorter’s work. And I must say, listening to the audiobook and hearing John McWhorter narrate had me cracking up at times. McWhorter is an academic, so hearing him give examples of “talking Black” was fantastic, and it made the subject even more fun and engaging.
I loved this book and can’t wait to read more of McWhorter’s work. And I must say, listening to the audiobook and hearing John McWhorter narrate had me cracking up at times. McWhorter is an academic, so hearing him give examples of “talking Black” was fantastic, and it made the subject even more fun and engaging.