LEADER 00000pam  2200325 i 4500 
003    DLC 
005    20161201114721.0 
008    160209s2016    nyua     b    001 0 eng   
010      2015050775 
020    9781627794718 (hardback) 
040    DLC|beng|erda|cDLC|dNjBwBT|dUtOrBLW 
042    pcc 
082 00 417/.7|223 
092    417.7|bMCW 
100 1  McWhorter, John H.,|eauthor. 
245 10 Words on the move :|bwhy English won't--and can't--sit 
       still (like, literally) /|cJohn McWhorter. 
250    First edition. 
264  1 New York :|bHenry Holt and Company,|c2016. 
300    257 pages :|billustrations ;|c22 cm 
336    text|2rdacontent 
337    unmediated|2rdamedia 
338    volume|2rdacarrier 
504    Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-241) and 
       index. 
520    "A bestselling 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 its 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 
       Whats 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 
       suffixly 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"--|cProvided by 
       publisher. 
650  0 Linguistic change. 
650  0 Language and languages|xVariation. 
650  0 Language and languages|xEtymology. 
650  0 Sociolinguistics.