Notes by Nikki Garland
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What McWhorter would like
you to remember:
·
Language is not a set
system
·
Even as we speak, language is constantly
changing
·
The process is slow,
but that does not mean language is “static”
·
All languages are
“bundles” of dialect
·
It is a form of
standard English
·
Standard English is not
linguistically superior to the black dialect
·
Some of the features
that give the black dialect a bad name are right at home in other languages.
For example “the dropped verb ‘to be’ that makes black teenagers sound lazy are
perfect Russian or Arabic”
·
A standard variety of
speech in the U.S. is not absolutely necessary because all Americans understand
mostly all English dialects.
·
The standard dialect
will always have great social significance
·
Nonstandard dialects
are not lazy versions of standard English
·
Those who speak a
nonstandard English usually also speak in the Standard English. For example, a
person can say can say to a friend “I ain’t going no where” and at their place
of employment say “I’m not going anywhere.
These people are speaking two wonderfully complex speech varieties in
accordance with one another.
·
They are indeed a
legitimate dialect
·
As we can see with our
own standard dialect, mixing or borrowing words does not “contaminate” the
language
·
There is nothing wrong
with not speaking the English of the past (the formal English of Shakespeare
and the like)
·
It is ridiculous to
make people feel bad about the way they speak
·
Most likely, all
languages trace back to one original language
·
Admire the beauty of
the vast variety found in the over 5,000 languages we have. This variety stems from simple language
change over time.
Rejoice in the beauty found in all languages!
Study Questions
1. What are McWhorter’s main points?
2. What is McWhorter essentially saying about language?
3. Since reading this book, has the way you view language
changed? Why or why not?
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