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The Great Courses Plus

Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage

via The Great Courses Plus

Overview

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<p>Taught by acclaimed linguist, author, and Professor, this course<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>dispels the cloud of confusion that clings to English, giving you a crystal-clear view of why we use it the way we do and where it fits into the diverse languages of the world.</p>

Syllabus

  • 01: Alarm over the Decay of English
  • 02: Surprises in the Ancestry of Old English
  • 03: Not Exactly Anglo-Saxon
  • 04: Don't Forget the Celtic Connection
  • 05: From Insider Language to Lingua Franca
  • 06: English as Easy German
  • 07: The Viking Conquest of English
  • 08: How the Words of Modern English Emerged
  • 09: Black English-The Streamlining Continues
  • 10: Honored Conceits of Blackboard Grammar
  • 11: Pronoun Fashions Come and Go
  • 12: Wrong Then, Proper Now-and Vice Versa
  • 13: A Procession of Accidents and Fossils
  • 14: The Pursuit of Logic in Language
  • 15: Clarity as the Logic of Language
  • 16: 20th-Century Fashions from Strunk & White
  • 17: The Kinds of Grammar You Don't Hear About
  • 18: Linguists Uncovering Grammar We All Use
  • 19: Speech versus Writing-Different Languages
  • 20: Speechmaking-From Oratory to Plain Speaking
  • 21: The Old and New Styles of Writing
  • 22: Got Poetry? Language with Spice
  • 23: Why Texting Is Misunderstood
  • 24: The Living Past and Future of English
  • By This Professor

Taught by

John McWhorter

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4.4 rating at The Great Courses Plus based on 101 ratings

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