A Look at Language
December 23rd, 2004 by Roderick Russell
The recent rash of mainstream books declaring the downfall of the American mind - intellectually, culturally, philosophically and emotionally - is nothing new. Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind, from 1988, made the case very clear, and one can trace from Bloom’s sources a long lineage of such declaration and claim.
Yet whether it be my present position within the American culture or my recent sudden and unexpected interest in the state of mind of the country (as a result of our current political administration and their questionable actions, I am sure), I have found these often fanatical texts to be of extreme interest and relevance today.
One such text that I read some months back was John McWhorter’s Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care.
What is most surprising throughout this text is the relaxed and often humorous style of McWhorter’s own writing. One would expect an expert in any field who is explicating the downfall of the rigor and style of that very field to take potshots at those responsible for the decline. One would naturally expect McWhorter, from the very subtitle on the cover, to poke fun at those people in society who utilize and perpetuate such loose language. Yet McWhorter’s humor is created by his reflection of a society that he not only observes, but actively participates in. McWhorter himself uses modern linguistic styling with sincerity, and uses them so effectively that there is enormous rapport between himself and any reader who is even slightly in touch with today’s culture. As any true linguist would be, he is less disappointed in the so-called “downfall” of language than he is fascinated; and one can sense that he is himself reveling in the change.
McWhorter’s primary argument, among the many resultant effects, is that language in America has ceased to be a language of which we are proud and with which we seek to speak artfully. Modern American English, he claims, has become simply a tool, and since the 1960’s (where he locates a few primary reasons for the language revolution) has been transitioning from a well-written and considered language to a strictly spoken language.
Whereas we still have the written word in society, in the form of books, papers, journals and even email, these print media are themselves printing words in a decidedly oral style, and he forecasts the continued decline of print media.
McWhorter goes on to outline and lament (despite his acceptance and fascination) the decline and fall not only of language in print and speech, but also in music. A huge fan of classic show tunes, McWhorter discusses the transition from classic compositional styles to the rhythm-driven and vocal-styling-obsessed culture of today.
Whereas some have viewed McWhorter’s words in a negative light, convinced that he is attacking all that is sacred to the youth of today, I have found quite the contrary. He eloquently sets forth his argument, but never does he attack or belittle. The author’s predilections are clearly in evidence and one is delighted to get such a personal glimpse into the life of this seemingly fun-loving individual, yet for that reason, some readers have assumed that any view not in alignment with his own are frowned upon. This would be a misinformed and egoistic stance.
An easy, humorous and accessible text, Doing Our Own Thing is a relaxed look at the evolution of language in modern society, as told through the words of an intelligent and playful critic. Highly recommended.
tags: john mcwhorter,doing our own thing,the degradation of language and music, language, linguistics
