Nine Nasty Words
A New York Times bestseller
One of the preeminent linguists of our time examines the realms of language that are considered shocking and taboo in order to understand what imbues curse words with such power--and why we love them so much.
Doing Our Own Thing
Is the English language in decline? Is contemporary music a pale imitation of the musical riches of the past? Linguist John McWhorter argues in this provocative, controversial book that the legacy of the 1960's has caused us to value the verbal and the oral over the written forms of language and music, impoverishing our culture.
The Power Of Babel
A wonderful guided tour of language, as sharp and thought-provoking as Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct and as entertaining and Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue.