Prescriptive grammar has spread linguistic insecurity like a plague among English speakers for centuries, numbs us to the aesthetic richness of non-standard speech, and distracts us from attending to genuine issues of linguistic style in writing.
John H. McWhorterI think even in today's America, there's a sense that there's something vaguely sexy about cigarettes.
John H. McWhorterEvery third person in the world is a drama queen. And crying 'victim,' especially when you're not really a victim in any real way, feels good. It feels good to cry victim if you're not one.
John H. McWhorterEnglish, however, is kinky. It has a predilection for dressing up like Welsh on lonely nights.
John H. McWhorterBarack Obama's said some very nice things and he says them well. But if you ask me, the reason that we're looking at somebody who is such an inexperienced senator, who has said some very pleasant but not especially sterling or innovative things, the reason that he's considered such a big deal is simply because he's black.
John H. McWhorter