Grammar Snobbery: The Last Permissible Prejudice?

 

When the Blue Yeti sent me this item and said, “This one’s for you, Claire,” I was a bit perplexed. Apparently, according to the Wall Street Journal, what’s really hot on dating sites is proper grammar:

With crimes against grammar rising in the age of social media, some people are beginning to take action. The online dating world is a prime battleground.

Mr. Cohen joins a number of singles picky about the grammar gaffes they’re seeing on dating sites. For love, these folks say written communications matter, from the correct use of semicolons, to understanding the difference between its and it’s, and sentences built on proper parallel construction.

“Grammar snobbery is one of the last permissible prejudices,” says John McWhorter, a linguistics professor at Columbia University. “The energy that used to go into open classism and racism now goes into disparaging people’s grammar.”

Why is this one is for me? What does he think I do all day — sit here, swipe at Tinder, and correct my ardent suitors’ semi-colon usage? After a long day of imposing grammar discipline on Ricochet, you think that’s how I’d want to relax?

I concede, to be fair, that in my youth I did once dump a guy for using the word “critique” incorrectly. It wasn’t the only reason, but it was definitely the final straw:

Him: Who do you think you are to critique me?

Me: You mean criticize. I was criticizing you. Nothing about what you just said was worthy of a critique. And frankly, if I were you, I’d stay away from any verbal usage of the word “critique.” Never use a weapon you don’t know how to handle.

That was obviously the end of our relationship. But beyond that one time, I have no idea why the Yeti thought of me as our resident expert in dating and grammar snobbery.

However, the link prompted me to look up John McWhorter, who sounds much more interesting than that quote from him would suggest. Based on the blurb, in fact, I think I’ll order his book:

A rousing polemic in defense of the written word by the New York Times bestselling author of Losing the Race and the widely acclaimed history of language The Power of Babel.

Critically acclaimed linguist John McWhorter has devoted his career to exploring the evolution of language. He has often argued that language change is inevitable and in general culturally neutral-languages change rapidly even in indigenous cultures where traditions perpetuate; and among modernized peoples, culture endures despite linguistic shifts. But in his provocative new book, Doing Our Own Thing, McWhorter draws the line when it comes to how cultural change is turning the English language upside down in America today, and how public English is being overwhelmed by street English, with serious consequences for our writing, our music, and our society.

McWhorter explores the triumph of casual over formal speech — particularly since the dawn of 1960s counterculture — and its effect on Americans’ ability to write, read, critique, argue, and imagine. In the face of this growing rift between written English and spoken English, the intricate vocabularies and syntactic roadmaps of our language appear to be slipping away, eroding our intellectual and artistic capacities. He argues that “our increasing alienation from ‘written language’ signals a gutting of our intellectual powers, our self-regard as a nation, and thus our very substance as a people.”

Timely, thought-provoking, and compellingly written, Doing Our Own Thing is sure to stoke many debates about the fate of our threatened intellectual culture, and the destiny of our democracy.

Has anyone here read it? Any good? (And does anyone want to bet that the person who wrote that blurb isn’t properly qualified to handle the word “critique?”)

 

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  1. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Yes! My time to shine have come.

    • #1
  2. Ball Diamond Ball Member
    Ball Diamond Ball
    @BallDiamondBall

    Percival
    Yes! My time to shine have come.

    Again?

    • #2
  3. Ball Diamond Ball Member
    Ball Diamond Ball
    @BallDiamondBall

    Percival
    Yes! My time to shine have come.

    Well, Pseud’s armor is over there. Get a-shinin’

    • #3
  4. Ball Diamond Ball Member
    Ball Diamond Ball
    @BallDiamondBall

    Whom do you think you am to dispended me?

    • #4
  5. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    I saw Rich Lowry use the word “flare” when he really meant “flair” the other day.  At least I think he meant flair.  Does that count?  Or maybe it was just a poor transcription.

    • #5
  6. Zafar Member
    Zafar
    @Zafar

    Well, if I must. Any port in a storm, I guess…

    • #6
  7. Big John Member
    Big John
    @AllanRutter

    From the blurb: “He argues that “our increasing alienation from ‘written language’ signals a gutting of our intellectual powers, our self-regard as a nation, and thus our very substance as a people.”  Is hyperbole in the defense of language a virtue?

    Maybe buying the book would allow you to decide if  the truth of his message can be gleaned from page after page of grumpiness.

    • #7
  8. Claire Berlinski, Ed. Member
    Claire Berlinski, Ed.
    @Claire

    Big John: From the blurb: “He argues that “our increasing alienation from ‘written language’ signals a gutting of our intellectual powers, our self-regard as a nation, and thus our very substance as a people.”  Is hyperbole in the defense of language a virtue?

    The blurb isn’t really under the author’s control. But something’s sure happened to our intellectual powers, our self-regard as a nation, and thus our very substance as a people, no?

    I’m open to the idea. I’ll hear him out. 

    • #8
  9. Gaby Charing Inactive
    Gaby Charing
    @GabyCharing

    The blurb writer also gave us “culturally neutral-languages”.

    • #9
  10. Paul Erickson Inactive
    Paul Erickson
    @PaulErickson

    Claire Berlinski, Ed.: I’m open to the idea. I’ll hear him out.

    Claire, ending with a preposition?

    • #10
  11. Larry3435 Inactive
    Larry3435
    @Larry3435

    Ay, gov’ner.  The way you talks says a mouthful ’bout you.

    • #11
  12. Ball Diamond Ball Member
    Ball Diamond Ball
    @BallDiamondBall

    McWhorter is a gem.  His speech here on ending the war on drugs is as close as anybody has come to convincing me that legalization is a good idea.  So while I don;t accept his prescription, I think that much of his diagnosis is right on, and in refreshingly candid terms.  How candid?  He points out that blacks who distrust police and police who distrust blacks are both operating rationally from pretty good positions.

    The guy is a rare exception to the “linguist = commie agitator” math, which is pretty reliable.  The CATO page I’ve linked to above offers several options for listening.  This is well worth your time.  I’ve linked to it a couple of times here at Ricochet — good to see McWhorter here on somebody else’s dime!

    • #12
  13. Claire Berlinski, Ed. Member
    Claire Berlinski, Ed.
    @Claire

    Ball Diamond Ball: McWhorter is a gem.  His speech here on ending the war on drugs is as close as anybody has come to convincing me that legalization is a good idea.

    I’m listening to it now. Really interesting. Thanks.

    • #13
  14. Ball Diamond Ball Member
    Ball Diamond Ball
    @BallDiamondBall

    Paul Erickson:

    Claire Berlinski, Ed.: I’m open to the idea. I’ll hear him out.

    Claire, ending with a preposition?

    “Oh.  Well.  Where the Libary at, jerk?”

    • #14
  15. MLH Inactive
    MLH
    @MLH

    The words doth make the man?

    • #15
  16. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Paul Erickson:

    Claire Berlinski, Ed.: I’m open to the idea. I’ll hear him out.

    Claire, ending with a preposition?

    Churchill once said something to the effect that “Not ending a sentence with a preposition is a restriction up with which I will not put.”

    • #16
  17. Larry3435 Inactive
    Larry3435
    @Larry3435

    Ball Diamond Ball:McWhorter is a gem. His speech here on ending the war on drugs is as close as anybody has come to convincing me that legalization is a good idea. So while I don;t accept his prescription, I think that much of his diagnosis is right on, and in refreshingly candid terms. How candid? He points out that blacks who distrust police and police who distrust blacks are both operating rationally from pretty good positions.

    The guy is a rare exception to the “linguist = commie agitator” math, which is pretty reliable. The CATO page I’ve linked to above offers several options for listening. This is well worth your time. I’ve linked to it a couple of times here at Ricochet — good to see McWhorter here on somebody else’s dime!

    I take it that this is the same John McWhorter who frequently podcasts with Glenn Loury on Bloggingheads?  I always thought he was an economist, but he’s definitely interesting.

    • #17
  18. Ball Diamond Ball Member
    Ball Diamond Ball
    @BallDiamondBall

    Larry3435:

    Ball Diamond Ball:McWhorter is a gem. His speech here on ending the war on drugs is as close as anybody has come to convincing me that legalization is a good idea. So while I don;t accept his prescription, I think that much of his diagnosis is right on, and in refreshingly candid terms. How candid? He points out that blacks who distrust police and police who distrust blacks are both operating rationally from pretty good positions.

    The guy is a rare exception to the “linguist = commie agitator” math, which is pretty reliable. The CATO page I’ve linked to above offers several options for listening. This is well worth your time. I’ve linked to it a couple of times here at Ricochet — good to see McWhorter here on somebody else’s dime!

    I take it that this is the same John McWhorter who frequently podcasts with Glenn Loury on Bloggingheads? I always thought he was an economist, but he’s definitely interesting.

    Presumably — never heard of it.  Would I like that podcast?

    • #18
  19. Great Ghost of Gödel Inactive
    Great Ghost of Gödel
    @GreatGhostofGodel

    Dr. McWhorter is a national treasure. A non-fire-breathing black conservative, he appears in Indoctrinate U and many bloggingheads.tv segments. His Story of Human Language is my favorite, by far, of the several Great Courses I own. Highly recommended.

    • #19
  20. Z in MT Member
    Z in MT
    @ZinMT

    Ggg,
    McWhorter is not a conservative. He just happens to be a reasonable democrat that is actually willing to engage conservatives.

    • #20
  21. Ball Diamond Ball Member
    Ball Diamond Ball
    @BallDiamondBall

    Z in MT:Ggg, McWhorter is not a conservative. He just happens to be a reasonable democrat that is actually willing to engage conservatives.

    He is.  He just may not know it yet.

    • #21
  22. Proud Skeptic Inactive
    Proud Skeptic
    @ProudSkeptic

    The kind of critique up with which I will not put.

    • #22
  23. Claire Berlinski, Ed. Member
    Claire Berlinski, Ed.
    @Claire

    Larry3435: I take it that this is the same John McWhorter who frequently podcasts with Glenn Loury on Bloggingheads?  I always thought he was an economist, but he’s definitely interesting.

    Yeah, can’t believe I’d never heard of this guy. Really interesting. Interesting on linguistics, too:

    “There is no other Indo-European language in Europe that doesn’t have gender … it’s really peculiar. And the reason is because, as far as we can tell, it was the Viking invasion … Those people came speaking something that wasn’t English. It was Old Norse. And there were no Berlizt courses to teach them Old English … so they learned it. They learned it badly. And one of the first things that would have gone was these pesky genders. Who cares whether a fork is a man or a woman? They didn’t. And so next thing you know, English became this user-friendly language … And here we are speaking it today.

    There are Indo-European language without gender, by the way — Persian and Armenian, as far as I know; perhaps more. But he may be right that there are none in Europe. Anyone know?

    That said, the theory sounds off to me. Who cares whether a fork’s a man or a woman? Well, English speakers wouldn’t, but if you feel like having anyone understand you in a language where they make that distinction, you’ll start caring pretty quickly. Because they won’t, otherwise.

    I didn’t fully appreciate this until I lived in Turkey. Turkish has no gendered pronouns — at all. Everyone and everything’s an “o.” So it’s common, even among very fluent speakers of English, to confuse “he” and “she.” It took hearing that for me to realize how genuinely confusing it must sound to the French if you call a fork a “he.”

    • #23
  24. carcat74 Member
    carcat74
    @carcat74

    “The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.”  “By Jove, I think she’s got it!”  “Move yer bloomin’ arse!”

    • #24
  25. rod Inactive
    rod
    @rod

    Paul Erickson:

    Claire Berlinski, Ed.: I’m open to the idea. I’ll hear him out.

    Claire, ending with a preposition?

    What did you bring that book I didn’t want to be read out of up for?

    • #25
  26. rod Inactive
    rod
    @rod

    Gaby Charing:The blurb writer also gave us “culturally neutral-languages”.

    what’s with the hyphen?
    Paul Erickson
    :

    Claire Berlinski, Ed.: I’m open to the idea. I’ll hear him out.

    Claire, ending with a preposition?

    What did you bring that book I didn’t want to be read out of up for?

    • #26
  27. Larry3435 Inactive
    Larry3435
    @Larry3435

    Ball Diamond Ball:

    Larry3435:

    Ball Diamond Ball:McWhorter is a gem. His speech here on ending the war on drugs is as close as anybody has come to convincing me that legalization is a good idea. So while I don;t accept his prescription, I think that much of his diagnosis is right on, and in refreshingly candid terms. How candid? He points out that blacks who distrust police and police who distrust blacks are both operating rationally from pretty good positions.

    The guy is a rare exception to the “linguist = commie agitator” math, which is pretty reliable. The CATO page I’ve linked to above offers several options for listening. This is well worth your time. I’ve linked to it a couple of times here at Ricochet — good to see McWhorter here on somebody else’s dime!

    I take it that this is the same John McWhorter who frequently podcasts with Glenn Loury on Bloggingheads? I always thought he was an economist, but he’s definitely interesting.

    Presumably — never heard of it. Would I like that podcast?

    There are several podcasts on that site.  I particularly like the ones with Bill Scheer and Matt K. Lewis, but give a few of them a try.  If you can’t find it in i-tunes under Bloggingheads, try “BhTV.”

    • #27
  28. James Lindsay Inactive
    James Lindsay
    @JamesLindsay

    Claire Berlinski, Ed.:

    Interesting on linguistics, too: “There is no other Indo-European language in Europe that doesn’t have gender … it’s really peculiar.

    I have always wondered if the reason that American feminists and academics are so much more obsessed with “gender” than in other countries is because English is a nearly genderless langauge.

    In response to gender questions on university forms, I have been known to mutter (usually to myself, but sometimes loud enough to cause discomfort to others): “Why do they always ask about my gender?! I am not a part of speech! My sex is male!”

    • #28
  29. Owen Findy Inactive
    Owen Findy
    @OwenFindy

    I’ve read several of McWhorter’s opinion pieces over the years.  He’s one of the few liberals (I’m pretty sure he still is) who make sense.

    • #29
  30. Instugator Thatcher
    Instugator
    @Instugator

    Z in MT:Ggg, McWhorter is not a conservative. He just happens to be a reasonable democrat that is actually willing to engage conservatives.

    Those actually exist? I thought they were as elusive as Bigfoot.

    • #30
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