Language is always changing, but the way English is spoken today rubs
many of us the wrong way. Whether it's the use of literally to mean
"figuratively," or the way young people use LOL 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. Drawing examples from
everyday life and employing a generous helping of humor, John McWhorter
shows that these shifts are common to all languages, and that we should
embrace these changes, not condemn them.
He opens our eyes to the surprising backstories to 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 suffix -ly in
adverbs is actually a remnant of the word like?
In Words on the Move, McWhorter encourages us to marvel at the
dynamism and resilience of the English language, and his book offers a
delightful journey where we see that words are ever on the move and our
lives are all the richer for it.