Premium Essay

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

In:

Submitted By bookworm91
Words 807
Pages 4
LIN 307.01

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

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Researcg

...Biography of Nick Joaquín (1917-2004) Posted on September 15, 2010 by Pepe Nicomedes "Nick" Joaquín This is the best biography of Nick that I’ve encountered so far… The 1996 Ramón Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts BIOGRAPHY of Nick Joaquín Resil B. Mojares He was the greatest Filipino writer of his generation. Over six decades and a half, he produced a body of work unmatched in richness and range by any of his contemporaries. Living a life wholly devoted to the craft of conjuring a world through words, he was the writer’s writer. In the passion with which he embraced his country’s manifold being, he was his people’s writer as well. Nick Joaquín was born in the old district of Pacò in Manila, Philippines, on September 15, 1917, the feast day of Saint Nicomedes, a protomartyr of Rome, after whom he took his baptismal name. He was born to a home deeply Catholic, educated, and prosperous. His father, Leocadio Joaquín, was a person of some prominence. Leocadio was a procurador (attorney) in the Court of First Instance of Laguna, where he met and married his first wife, at the time of the Philippine Revolution. He shortly joined the insurrection, had the rank of colonel, and was wounded in action. When the hostilities ceased and the country came under American rule, he built a successful practice in law. Around 1906, after the death of his first wife, he married Salomé Márquez, Nick’s mother. A friend of General Emilio Aguinaldo, Leocadio...

Words: 8246 - Pages: 33

Premium Essay

Myths

...BRAIN POWER Myth #1 Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power Myth #2 Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained Myth #3 Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon Myth #4 Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes Myth #5 Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products 2 FROM WOMB TO TOMB Myth #6 Playing Mozart’s Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence Myth #7 Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil Myth #8 Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in | 8 Their 40s or Early 50s Myth #9 Old Age Is Typically Associated with Increased Dissatisfaction and Senility Myth #10 When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages 3 A REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST Myth #11 Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurate Events We’ve Experienced Myth #12 Hypnosis Is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events Myth #13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences Myth #14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives 4 TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS Myth #15 Intelligence (IQ) Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People My th #16 If You’re Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It’s Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch Myth #17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters Myth #18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles 5 ALTERED STATES Myth #19 Hypnosis...

Words: 130018 - Pages: 521

Free Essay

Make Sure You'Re Right, Then Go Ahead

...April 2005, sixty thousand members of the National Rifle Association gathered in Houston, Texas for their 134th Annual Meeting. The keynote speaker for the event was embattled U.S. House Majority Leader, Representative Tom De Lay. After his speech, De Lay was joined on stage by Lee Hamel dressed as Davy Crockett in full buckskin attire and a coonskin hat. Hamel presented De Lay with a handcrafted flintlock rifle that he had made for the event with his mentor, Cecil Brooks. The presentation of the reproduction rifle to De Lay is part of a long NRA tradition that began in 1955 when Walt Disney‟s Davy Crockett series first appeared on television. When Charlton Heston received his handcrafted flintlock rifle in 1989, he uttered his famous words, “From my cold dead hands.” President Ronald Reagan and Vice President Dick Cheney also joined the list of those who received facsimile Davy Crockett flintlock rifles from a man dressed in Crockett buckskin attire. This tradition is part of the NRA‟s efforts to represent the gun as a key instrument in the founding of the United States. It secured this ideological representation in part by appropriating the mythology of early American heroes like Davy Crockett. Davy Crockett became emblematic of the gun mythology of early American life. This mythology was synergized by the NRA and popularized through children‟s television to promote a conception of the role of the gun in American cultural history consistent with its political agenda...

Words: 8084 - Pages: 33

Premium Essay

The Rise of the Tale

...electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Tim Killick has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Gower House Croft Road Aldershot Hampshire GU11 3HR England Ashgate Publishing Company Suite 420 101 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05401-4405 USA www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Killick, Tim British short fiction in the early nineteenth century : the rise of the tale 1. Short stories, English – History and criticism 2. English fiction – 19th century – History and criticism 3. Short story 4. Literary form – History – 19th century I. Title 823’.0109 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Killick, Tim. British short fiction in the early nineteenth century : the rise of the tale / by Tim Killick. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7546-6413-0 (alk. paper) 1. Short stories, English—History and criticism. 2. English fiction—19th century—History and criticism. 3. Short story. 4. Literary form—History—19th century. I. Title. PR829.K56 2008 823’.0109--dc22 2007052226 ISBN: 978-0-7546-6413-0 Contents Acknowledgements vi Introduction 1 1 Overview: Short Fiction in the Early Nineteenth Century Part I: Criticism, History, and Definitions Part II: Short Fiction in the Periodical Press 5 5 ...

Words: 98420 - Pages: 394

Premium Essay

British Short Fictions

...electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Tim Killick has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Gower House Croft Road Aldershot Hampshire GU11 3HR England Ashgate Publishing Company Suite 420 101 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05401-4405 USA www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Killick, Tim British short fiction in the early nineteenth century : the rise of the tale 1. Short stories, English – History and criticism 2. English fiction – 19th century – History and criticism 3. Short story 4. Literary form – History – 19th century I. Title 823’.0109 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Killick, Tim. British short fiction in the early nineteenth century : the rise of the tale / by Tim Killick. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7546-6413-0 (alk. paper) 1. Short stories, English—History and criticism. 2. English fiction—19th century—History and criticism. 3. Short story. 4. Literary form—History—19th century. I. Title. PR829.K56 2008 823’.0109--dc22 2007052226 ISBN: 978-0-7546-6413-0 Contents Acknowledgements vi Introduction 1 1 Overview: Short Fiction in the Early Nineteenth Century Part I: Criticism, History, and Definitions Part II: Short Fiction in the Periodical Press 5 5 ...

Words: 98420 - Pages: 394

Premium Essay

Marxist

...electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Tim Killick has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Gower House Croft Road Aldershot Hampshire GU11 3HR England Ashgate Publishing Company Suite 420 101 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05401-4405 USA www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Killick, Tim British short fiction in the early nineteenth century : the rise of the tale 1. Short stories, English – History and criticism 2. English fiction – 19th century – History and criticism 3. Short story 4. Literary form – History – 19th century I. Title 823’.0109 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Killick, Tim. British short fiction in the early nineteenth century : the rise of the tale / by Tim Killick. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7546-6413-0 (alk. paper) 1. Short stories, English—History and criticism. 2. English fiction—19th century—History and criticism. 3. Short story. 4. Literary form—History—19th century. I. Title. PR829.K56 2008 823’.0109--dc22 2007052226 ISBN: 978-0-7546-6413-0 Contents Acknowledgements vi Introduction 1 1 Overview: Short Fiction in the Early Nineteenth Century Part I: Criticism, History, and Definitions Part II: Short Fiction in the Periodical Press 5 5 ...

Words: 98420 - Pages: 394

Premium Essay

English Help

...be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOC/DOC 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN: MHID: 978-0-07-803818-1 0-07-803818-9 Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Michael Ryan Vice President EDP/Central Publishing Services: Kimberly Meriwether David Editorial Director: Beth Mejia Senior Managing Editor: Meghan Campbell Executive Marketing Manager: Pamela S. Cooper Senior Project Manager: Joyce Watters Buyer: Nicole Baumgartner Design Coordinator: Margarite Reynolds Media Project Manager: Sridevi Palani Compositor: Glyph International Typeface: 10/13 Palatino Printer: R. R. Donnelley All credits appearing on page or at the end of the book are considered to be an extension of the copyright page. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. Beyond feelings: a guide to critical thinking / Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. —9th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-07-803818-1 (alk. paper) 1. Critical thinking. I....

Words: 102651 - Pages: 411

Premium Essay

Rastafarian

...registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Copyright © 2003 by Ennis Barrington Edmonds The moral rights of the authors have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Edmonds, Ennis Barrington. Rastafari : from outcasts to culture bearers / Ennis Barrington Edmonds. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-513376-5 1. Rastafari movement. 2. Jamaica—Religious life and customs. I. Title. BL2532.R37 E36 2002 299′.676—dc21 2002074897 v To Donnaree, my wife, and Donnisa, my daughter, the two persons around whom my life...

Words: 79520 - Pages: 319

Free Essay

Kiki

...swans until after they occur? Part of the answer, according to Taleb, is that humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focused on generalities. We concentrate on things we already know and time and time again fail to take into consideration what we don't know. We are, therefore, unable to truly estimate oppor­ tunities, too vulnerable to the impulse to simplify, narrate, and categorize, and not open enough to rewarding those who can imagine the "impossible." For years, Taleb has studied how we fool our­ selves into thinking we know more than we actually do. We restrict our thinking to the irrelevant and inconsequential, while large events continue to surprise us and shape our world. Now, in this reve­ latory book, Taleb explains everything we know about what we don't know. He offers surprisingly simple tricks for dealing with black swans and ben­ efiting from them. Elegant, startling, and universal in its applica­ tions, The Black Swan will change the way you look at the world. Taleb is a vastly entertaining writer, with wit, irreverence, and unusual stories to tell. He has a polymathic command of subjects ranging from cognitive science to business to...

Words: 158140 - Pages: 633

Premium Essay

Mass Media

...Media History Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Mass media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.1.4 1.1.5 1.1.6 1.1.7 1.1.8 1.1.9 Issues with definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forms of mass media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Professions involving mass media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Influence and sociology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ethical issues and criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1 2 6 6 7 8 10 10 10 10 11 11 12 12 12 12 16 16 17 17 17 17 17 17 18 19 20 21 21 21 1.1.10 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1.11 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1.12 Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1.13 External links . . . . . . . . ....

Words: 146891 - Pages: 588

Free Essay

International Business

...This text was adapted by The Saylor Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work’s original creator or licensee. Organization The overarching logic of the book is intuitive—organized around answers to the what, where, why, and how of international business. WHAT? Section one introduces what is international business and who has an interest in it. Students will sift through the globalization debate and understanding the impact of ethics on global businesses. Additionally, students will explore the evolution of international trade from past to present, with a focus on how firms and professionals can better understand today’s complex global business arena by understanding the impact of political and legal factors. The section concludes with a chapter on understanding how cultures are defined and the impact on business interactions and practices with tangible tips for negotiating across cultures. WHERE? Section two develops student knowledge about key facets of the global business environment and the key elements of trade and cooperation between nations and global organizations. Today, with increasing numbers of companies of all sizes operating internationally, no business or country can remain an island. Rather, the interconnections between countries, businesses, and institutions are inextricable. Even how we define the world is changing. No longer classified into simple and neat...

Words: 239764 - Pages: 960

Premium Essay

Asdf

...reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-07-177863-3 MHID: 0-07-177863-2 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07177862-6, MHID: 0-07-177862-4. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work...

Words: 87486 - Pages: 350

Free Essay

Code

...C O D E C ODE v e r s i o n 2 . 0 L A W R E N C E L E S S I G A Member of the Perseus Books Group New York Copyright © 2006 by Lawrence Lessig CC Attribution-ShareAlike Published by Basic Books A Member of the Perseus Books Group Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Basic Books, 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016–8810. Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge MA 02142, or call (617) 252-5298, (800) 255-1514 or e-mail special.markets@perseusbooks.com. CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN-10: 0–465–03914–6 ISBN-13: 978–0–465–03914–2 06 07 08 09 / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Code version 1.0 FOR CHARLIE NESSON, WHOSE EVERY IDEA SEEMS CRAZY FOR ABOUT A YEAR. Code version 2.0 TO WIKIPEDIA, THE ONE SURPRISE THAT TEACHES MORE THAN EVERYTHING HERE. C O N T E N T S Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Chapter 1. Code Is Law Chapter 2. Four Puzzles from Cyberspace PART I: “REGULABILITY” ix xiii 1 9 Chapter 3. Is-Ism: Is the Way It Is the Way It Must Be? Chapter 4. Architectures of Control Chapter 5. Regulating Code PART II: REGULATION BY CODE 31 38 61 Chapter 6. Cyberspaces Chapter 7. What Things Regulate...

Words: 190498 - Pages: 762

Free Essay

Dan Brown

...www.GetPedia.com Click on your interest section for more information : Acne q Advertising q Aerobics & Cardio q Affiliate Revenue q Alternative Medicine q Attraction q Online Auction q Streaming Audio & Online Music q Aviation & Flying q Babies & Toddler q Beauty q Blogging, RSS & Feeds q Book Marketing q Book Reviews q Branding q Breast Cancer q Broadband Internet q Muscle Building & Bodybuilding q Careers, Jobs & Employment q Casino & Gambling q Coaching q Coffee q College & University q Cooking Tips q Copywriting q Crafts & Hobbies q Creativity q Credit q Cruising & Sailing q Currency Trading q Customer Service q Data Recovery & Computer Backup q Dating q Debt Consolidation q Debt Relief q Depression q Diabetes q Divorce q Domain Name q E-Book q E-commerce q Elder Care q Email Marketing q Entrepreneur q Ethics q Exercise & Fitness q Ezine Marketing q Ezine Publishing q Fashion & Style q Fishing q Fitness Equipment q Forums q Game q Goal Setting q Golf q Dealing with Grief & Loss q Hair Loss q Finding Happiness q Computer Hardware q Holiday q Home Improvement q Home Security q Humanities q Humor & Entertainment q Innovation q Inspirational q Insurance q Interior Design & Decorating q Internet Marketing q Investing q Landscaping & Gardening q Language q Leadership q Leases & Leasing q Loan q Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer q Business Management q Marketing q Marriage & Wedding q Martial Arts ...

Words: 151146 - Pages: 605

Premium Essay

Starting Your Business

...'blueprint for success' 38 Case studies 43 Exercises 45 4 Funding Your Enterprise 46 Getting your hands on some seed money 46 Start-up costs 46 Getting outside finance 49 Approaching the public sector 50 Approaching potential funders 54 The plan that will fix your funding 58 Presenting your case 61 Checklist 62 Case studies 63 Action points 65 5 Planning Ahead 66 Choosing a partner 66 Case studies: going into partnership 69 Measuring the competition 71 Competitive analysis 75 Finding the right premises 77 The systems you will need 79 Deciding your business status 80 Understanding the basics of taxation 81 Preparing to survive - and succeed 84 Case studies 85 Action points 87 6 Marketing Your Enterprise 89 Debunking the marketing myth 89 Creating the right personal image 90 Marketing research 95 Above the line promotion 97 Avoiding mistakes in small business marketing 99 Case studies 103 Action points 104 7 Cultivating the Selling Habit 105 How to begin 105 Learning to negotiate 106 Prospecting for customers 107 Making your appointments 108 Clinching a deal face-to-face 113 The ten...

Words: 51872 - Pages: 208