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Words on the move : why English won't-- and can't-- sit still (like, literally) / John McWhorter.

by McWhorter, John H.

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Henry Holt and Company, 2016.

English language.

Linguistic change.

Language and languages -- Variation.

Language and languages -- Etymology.

Sociolinguistics.

9781627794718 (hc.)

257 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-241) and index.

The faces of English: words get personal -- It's the implication that matters: words on the move -- When words stop being words: where does grammar come from? -- A vowel is a process: words start sounding different -- Lexical springtime: words mate and reproduce -- This is your brain on writing: lingering questions.

"A 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 its 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 'Whats the ask?' It often seems as if the language is deteriorating before our eyes. But the truth is different and a lot less scary. A 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, the author shows that these shifts are a natural process common to all languages, and that we should embrace and appreciate these changes, not condemn them. 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. John McWhorter is an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University and is the author of The Language Hoax, The Power of Babel, and Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue"--Provided by publisher.

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