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Words on the Move

John McWhorter, professor of linguistics at Columbia University and host of Slate's language podcast Lexicon Valley

Event Details

Date
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Time
7:30 p.m.
Location
Room L140, Conrad A. Elvehjem Building 800 University Avenue
Description
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 it’s 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 What’s the ask? -- it often seems as if the language is deteriorating before our eyes. But the truth is different and a lot less scary. English has always been i
Cost
Free

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