John McWhorter

Professor, Columbia University

John McWhorter is a professor of linguistics and American studies at Columbia University. His latest book is The Language Hoax (2014).

Written by John McWhorter

essayLanguage and linguistics

Euphemise this

Euphemisms are like underwear: best changed frequently. What work are they doing in our language and why do they expire?

John McWhorter

essayLanguage and linguistics

English is not normal

No, English isn’t uniquely vibrant or mighty or adaptable. But it really is weirder than pretty much every other language

John McWhorter