Black English is simpler than standard English in some ways; for example, it often gets by with just 'be' and drops 'am,'… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
The contribution of West African languages to Ebonics is absolutely infinitesimal. What it actually is is a very interesting hybrid of regional… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
“Modern Our Father, who is in heaven, blessed be your name. Give us our daily bread today. All three of these languages were rich,… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
As far as I'm concerned, and this is a big theme of mine, I'm not interested in white people loving me. It's an unrealistic… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
“[I] would argue that native-born blacks are so vastly less "African" than actual Africans that calling ourselves 'African American' is not only illogical but… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
People banging away on their smartphones are fluently using a code separate from the one they use in actual writing, but a code it… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
“The difference between educated people and uneducated people is that educated people have been opened up to the notion that you can disagree without… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
Most languages spoken by a few thousand people are so complicated they make your head swim; a Siberian yak herder's language is much more… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
“Poetry that tames language into tight structures and yet manages to move us comes off as a feat, paralleling ballet or athletic talent in… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
“The late twentieth century has been the locus of a new lurch on English’s time line in America, where oratorical, poetic, and compositional craft… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
Rap and spoken word have reawakened the country to poetry in itself. Texting and Twitter encourage creative uses of casual language, in ways I… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
It would be good if teachers could genuinely understand that black English is not mistakes, it's just different English, and that what you want… — John McWhorter Copy Share Image
