Spreading the Word: Language and Dialect in America

by John McWhorter

Book Overview

The idea that there is one "best" English is so intuitively plausible and so relentlessly inculcated in us that it is only natural to attempt to uphold this "Standard" among our students. Our error is in thinking that anything that deviates from this Standard is wrong. In Spreading the Word, linguist John McWhorter proves that these nonstandard dialects are not bastardizations of Standard English, but alternate variations upon the basic plan...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0325001987
• ISBN13: 9780325001982
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary