When the President of the United States is able to win congratulatory applause with his disdain for fancy talk, it is as if he is adding punctuation to the latest book by the linguist John McWhorter. The book’s called “Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care.” McWhorter says the degradation of language began in the mid 60’s. He says the public slide away from reverence for the spoken word continues to this day, and its hurting more than American politics. He says it threatens America’s cultural health.
Guests:
John McWhorter, author of “Doing our own thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care”