John McWhorter

John McWhorter talks about how texting is not writing at all, but it is a miraculous thing. He explains how first there is speech and then writing comes along. When speaking casually we speak from 10 to 12 words and less reflective, it is very different from writing. People used to talk like they used to write back then, because writing like you speak was harder back then. This is when texting comes in because it is easier now with our new technology. John says that it is finger speech and now we can write the way we talk. He gives an example of how young people are spelling now like using LOL and SLASH. When they write LOL they are using it as empathy and not what it really means. They use SLASH when they are changing the topic of what they are talking about. Like being bilingual John believes that know how to text and write is Bi-dialectal, a balancing act of texting and writing correctly. He believes a whole new language has developed with our young people and it is a linguistic miracle that is happening today.…

What is the true cause of this misunderstanding and confusion? I, myself, venture to the theater hoping for some great awareness to come falling down upon me, yet I leave oblivious to the meanings of the play, meanings that go further then the famous, "To be, or not to be" of Hamlet. McWhorter confronts these issues in Word on the Street, explaining a number of different reasons as to why people explain why modern Americans cannot understand or fully appreciate Shakespeare. One argument brought…

Languages of the world What if the entire world spoke one language? What would that language be? In John McWhorters writing the Cosmopolitan Tongue he talks about how languages are dying and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. He claims that by 2109 ninety percent of the world’s languages will be dead. That would take us from the current 6000 languages down 600 languages for the entire world to use. Do you think that is a bad thing? Mcwhorter doesn’t, he feels that it is a natural progression…

In the US, racism is more of a historical issue compared to other social issues, which making it becomes less important than others. Though we can still read a racial report from our news media every day, more social problems occur besides racism. In “Why it’s OK to Ignore Phil Robertson’s Racism,” John McWhorter doesn’t really ignore Robertson’s racial claim, instead he compared racism with sexuality that “discrimination against gay people is more overt in modern America than against black…

TED Talk Reflection. Ivan Semashev This talk was very interesting, especially for me, myself, since I have had a small itch to talk about some of the questions that John McWhorter has addressed. The questions, such as “Are teenagers these years actually degrading slowly, thus dooming humanity as a whole?” and “Should their ways of communicating and adapting to the world be judged by the prior generations?” A lot of learned people are talking about the new generation being generally terrible.…

Texting isn 't exactly the language of the century, it’s not seen in equal respects to even the least intricate communication techniques. Since its creation, texting has grown in popularity and in ease of access. Slang words, a revamped view on the use of abbreviations and the pound sign have become more than a shortcut, John McWhorter introduces the idea of texting as an advancement in language. Just the same as the transformation of any language, such as Latin texting has entered that stage…

Throughout the world’s time line we have experienced many change centuries after centuries. Going from having dinosaurs, declaring war and having different types of president every four years. As well as the fashion trends and the new modern car design being the highlight in everyday magazines. However, the way languages are written and spoken appear to be one of the biggest things in history that is being changed rapidly. In the article ‘Euphemise this’ written by John McWhorter, discusses…

John McWhorter, argues, “The new idea that it is … grievous when a dominant group imitates a subordinate one’s cultural traits gets us nowhere.” In this Columbia Professors’ New York Times article Borrowing from Other Cultures Is Human Nature, McWhorter identifies what the relationship between imitation and appropriation is. Clearly, McWhorter expresses an unpopular opinion regarding cultural appropriation. With that, there is truth to what he has to say. The idea that appropriation is, at its…

more accurate over someone else’s; will we ever know? The very wise John McWhorter an editor at The New Republic and columnist for The New York Daily News as well as a teacher of linguistics, wrote an article called “Talking With Your Fingers”. Throughout McWhorter’s passage he discusses the issue of whether or not text messaging has become a negative aspect of our society. McWhorter stands fully on what he believes throughout the article. His belief is well demonstrated through various…

or large. At the Boys and Girls club I was thought varies ways to overcome my anxiety, things like: hosting events (MC) and even talking in front of small audience. As of right now I am very proud to say I no longer have stage fright. I am proud to say that I host (MC) all the events that is going on at the Florence Degeorge Boys and Girl Club. There was a boy name John, who was very timid to the point he was afraid of interacting with the other kids around him. I took the…