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Book Review of Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of a “Pure” Standard English

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Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of a “Pure” Standard English

In Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of a “Pure” Standard English, John McWhorter does just that. He aims to help the public understand those ideas that until now have only been studied by linguists so that their distorted perception of language may be altered. He divides the book into three main sections, going from a general description of basic principles, to specific examples of how these principles apply to everyday language, with an introduction that paints a clear picture of why this book is an important read. With slyly injected humor, McWhorter is able to take difficult linguistic concepts and present them in a way that provides a delightful read for all audiences. Part one centers on one specific idea: that language change is not decay. McWhorter spends many pages trying to convince the reader that changes in language are natural and an expected part of the history of every language in the world. He uses specific examples from English so that even someone with no background in linguistics can understand the points he is trying to get across. He delves a little bit into history to show how and why different dialects arise, and why there is no such thing as a “bad grammar.” McWhorter then goes on to explain how languages mix together and how this also brings about change. He tries to illustrate how modern Standard English came to be what it is from a mixture of many languages over time, and is successful at convincing the reader that English is not a language that is “right” and has stayed stagnant over time, but rather has a rich and varied history full of change. The second part of the book focuses on three specific facets of modern English and how the principles discussed earlier relate to them. First, he tackles the myth that there exists a set of rules in

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