Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage
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Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage
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Narrated by:
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John McWhorter
About this listen
Conventional wisdom suggests English is going to the dogs, that bad grammar, slang, and illogical constructions signal a decline in standards of usage - to say nothing of the corruption wrought by email and text messages.
But English is a complicated, marvelous language. Far from being a language in decline, English is the product of surprisingly varied linguistic forces, some of which have only recently come to light. And these forces continue to push English in exciting new directions.
These 24 eye-opening lectures dispel the cloud of confusion that clings to English, giving you a crystal-clear view of why we use it the way we do and where it fits into the diverse languages of the world. Like an archaeologist sifting through clues to a vanished civilization, you'll uncover the many features of English that sound normal to a native speaker but that linguists find puzzling and also revealing.
For example, the only languages that use "do" the way English does (as in "do not walk") are the Celtic languages such as Welsh, which were spoken by people who lived among the early English and influenced their language in many subtle ways.
You'll also delight in considering modern controversies about how English is used. For example, "Billy and me went to the store" is considered incorrect, because the subject form, "I," should be used instead of "me." But then why does "Me and Billy went to the store" sound so much more fluent than "I and Billy went to the store"?
These examples and many more represent a few of the flash points in English's long history of defying rules, a process that occurs in all languages. You'll come away from this course with every reason to be a proud, informed, and more self-aware speaker of English.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- eoin
- 22-09-18
Informative, instructive delightfully delivered...
... And so on to his next series. 👍🙏... they say I need 2 words to finish. Done.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-05-23
Very entertaining
Fun and comprehendible overview of the English language and its history.
Includes some fascinating tidbits (no spoilers).
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- Mr. R. D. Cox
- 19-09-20
I knew it.
Glorious self affirmative knowledge which gives me confidence to tackle the ill informed pedantic conservatives.
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- Samantha O'Donoghue
- 16-08-20
Informative and entertaining.
John McWhorter has a very engaging style and is a please to listen to. The book is educational and entertaining, I recommend it.
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- andy
- 01-12-14
Thought provoking and thoroughly enjoyable
If you could sum up Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage in three words, what would they be?
educational, entertaining and enjoyable
What other book might you compare Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage to, and why?
Prof McWhorter's other lecture series on the history of language because they are both of a high quality.
Have you listened to any of Professor John McWhorter’s other performances? How does this one compare?
This is the third of his lecture series I've heard and he never fails to engage and entertain whilst leadimh the listener through some challenging ideas.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It's 18 hours long, so no.
Any additional comments?
I came away feeling like I'd really learnt something new and thoroughly enjoyed the process. This is how all learning should be.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Rhiannon
- 29-06-20
love these lectures
this is my third Great Courses lecture on language, and my second with John McWhorter. they're all brilliant, interesting and engaging.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Christopher
- 21-09-16
Marvellous!
This was enthralling, the content is fascinating and the lecturer is fun with a mesmeric style. I loved it!
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2 people found this helpful
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- cb
- 03-07-19
Brilliant, insightful, fun
Yet another great course by John McWhorter. I just can’t get enough of his talks. If you’re curious about languages, this is for you. Enjoy!
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- Turquelblue
- 26-08-20
2nd half of the course is too US focussed
This is the 3rd series of lectures by Professor McWhorter I have listened to.
As usual, his presentation is fluent, humorous and avoids deep linguistic terminology where possible. The first lectures on the historical development are very interesting, the second half less so as they are much more directed to American listeners. I really was 'nt interested in Strunk & White and other grammar "experts". As a speaker of Dutch and Portuguese who has had to survive the spelling reforms in both languages, I appreciate the fact that there is no world governing body trying to control and regulate English. I am happy to read both colour and color.
Although Professor McWhorter makes reference to other English speaking countries at the start of the lectures, there is no discussion on language development outside USA and UK. This is a shame as there is no mention of "prepone", my favourite modern word coming from Indian English.
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- toby moate
- 04-11-21
great fun
This the third book I have listened to written and narrated by John McW. His style is witty and clever and the substance is enlightening. As a result I have reduced my 'whinging' about people speaking 'poor English'. Tx nu BFF lol.
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