Words on the Move

Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally)

By: John McWhorter

Narrated by: John McWhorter

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

A best-selling linguist takes us on a lively tour of how the English language is evolving before our eyes - and why we should embrace this transformation and not fight it.

Language is always changing - but we tend not to like it. We understand that new words must be created for new things, but the way English is spoken today rubs many of us the wrong way. Whether it's the use of literally to mean "figuratively" rather than "by the letter" or the way young people use LOL and like, or business jargon like what's the ask? - it often seems as if the language is deteriorating before our eyes.

But the truth is different and a lot less scary, as John McWhorter shows in this delightful and eye-opening exploration of how English has always been in motion and continues to evolve today. Drawing examples from everyday life and employing a generous helping of humor, he shows that these shifts are a natural process common to all languages and that we should embrace and appreciate these changes, not condemn them.

Words on the Move opens our eyes to the surprising backstories to the words and expressions we use every day. Did you know that silly once meant "blessed"? Or that ought was the original past tense of owe? Or that the suffix -ly in adverbs is actually a remnant of the word like? And have you ever wondered why some people from New Orleans sound as if they come from Brooklyn?

McWhorter encourages us to marvel at the dynamism and resilience of the English language, and his book offers a lively journey through which we discover that words are ever on the move, and our lives are all the richer for it.

©2016 John H. McWhorter (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

I'm Literally Giving In on Literally

This is how powerful John McWhorter's book is: he instantly convinced me to abandon my longtime vociferous distaste for using literally to mean the opposite of literally. I won't give his argument away, as it is the centerpiece of the first of his five chapters on how and why English changes over time. Read it (listen to it) for yourself, you will not be disappointed.

McWhorter makes a brief and much less spirited case for tolerating irregardless which fails to alter my opinion that that is just a stupid mistake that would be better off relegated to the realm of the obsolete, though sadly it lives on. But in general, he makes a strong case against prescriptive dictates (i.e. the usage police).

Other books dwell on historical events that have caused discreet shifts in English -- Viking and Norman invasions, church Latin, et.al. McWhorter deals with that in other books. Here, he focuses on natural evolutionary trends in language -- how meanings change when they take on subjective properties, how they narrow or broaden through usage, how words morph into grammar, etc. The whole idea being that change is ongoing and inevitable.

Overall, except for an overlong and not altogether interesting chapter on how vowel sounds evolve, this book is just wonderful (in both the contemporary and Melville-era senses of that word). That McWhorter narrates it himself just makes it that much more interesting and powerful, since he knows exactly what he is saying and how he wants to say it.

Words change their meanings over time

What made the experience of listening to Words on the Move the most enjoyable?

Having the author narrate his own work and using many examples to explain his reasoning.

What did you like best about this story?

Etymology.

Have you listened to any of John McWhorter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. This is my first.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Don't know. It doesn't seem to fit the film format.

Any additional comments?

The study of words and their origins are interesting enough, but this book shows how words change over time.

An interesting way of seeing the language

This book opens ones eyes to the way in which languages in general, and English specifically, change over time. One need only pick up a copy of Shakespeare's plays or look at the King James Bible to see how much change there has been in just the last 400 years. I'm not sure I'm sold on his main point, but it is an interesting notion. #EyeOpening #AlternativePerspective #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

My Review is on the Move

I'm old enough to have witnessed several changes in our language or rather, how we use words. I've witnessed words like Eason lose their meaning through misuse. However, this text illustrates how words don't really lose meaning so much as morph to having other meanings.

Words on the Wow

Words on the Move: Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still, such an informative, entertaining book, is making me reconsider myself as a writer and editor. I learned how to edit in the late 1980s, and those are the rules I still live by, AP style. I may reassess some things, but I will never entertain exclamation points for phrases that are not exclamations, nor the use of parentheses because they do nothing but get in the writer’s way and slow the reader down. And if you ever see me use an emoji, slam a shovel through the back of my head.

Delightful!

Delightful and engaging book on the history of words and insight on ever changing language.

How the forces of linguistics have shaped English

This book was a delightful introduction (and more) to how the forces of linguistics have shaped the English language. I have never studied linguistics at all, yet I found the author clear, convincing, informative, intruiging, and even humorous. He focuses on the last century and a half of English, supported by examples that reach back to Shakespeare and even Chaucer, with some very rare examples in old English. As an educated person in my 40s, this book gives me perspective on how English is used differently by today's teenagers, including some extensive discussion of texting.

From a now-converted purist

As one who has lamented and moaned about language drift for years, McWhorter effectively won me over to the inevitability of this phenomenon. What’s more, he convinced me that it does not portend doom for our cultural literacy. His humor delights as he engages in wordplay, impersonations and brilliant wit. Not only does he educate but McWhorter charms so that the listener would like to have the opportunity to meet him and hang out in real life. This book is for anyone who likes words and their employ.

Another great book by Dr. McWhorter.

This book is short, sweet, and to the point. I'd recommend it for any language pendants or anyone else who is interested the evolution of speech.

Fascinating account of how English evolves

Where does Words on the Move rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best of the non-fiction books I've listened to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Words on the Move?

The particular value of listening to this book is that McWhorter pronounces all the varieties of words in their various dialects and ancient forms. Just reading on paper, it would be much harder to appreciate his points. He's an excellent presenter.

Have you listened to any of John McWhorter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This the first time I've hear him.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Its non-fiction. Not really "moving". But fascinating

Any additional comments?

If you don't know why "good" and "food" don't seem to rhyme McWhorter is here to explain it to you--and if you think they *do* rhyme, he'll explain what that means for the future of English as well.