John McWhorter, linguist, New Republic contributing editor and the author of What Language Is (And What It Isn’t and What It Could Be) talks about the Democrats' rhetorical choices in their conventions speeches.
John McWhorter, linguist, New Republic contributing editor and the author of What Language Is (And What It Isn’t and What It Could Be) talks about the Democrats' rhetorical choices in their conventions speeches.
Comments [10]
@chriss from Montclair
Sure, why not. Most of us bought a west Texas drawl from a man who moved there from Connecticut when he was ten years old. Maybe because he himself thought he was just 'talking'.
gw bush worst president EVER!
romney ryan change? what is their platform again? LOL
It's Time For A Change.
Romney and Ryan in 2012.
Obama along side Jimmy Carter (Worst President EVER) working for "Habitat for Humanity".
A great speech - FORWARD - OBAMA - BIDEN - 2012!
Oh, my, I am so tired of the faux urbanity, faux ennui, faux faux. So McWhorter has heard it all; he's also said all of it! What a faux intetellectual!
Best part of the speech for me by president Obama…
"(I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the President. I know what it means to send young Americans into battle, for I have held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn't return. I've shared the pain of families who've lost their homes, and the frustration of workers who've lost their jobs. If the critics are right that I've made all my decisions based on polls, then I must not be very good at reading them. And while I'm proud of what we've achieved together, I'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, "I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go.")"
Please, you guys. All these critics would find something wrong in the Gettysberg Address! Obama gave a good speech. A very good speech. People were crying, for goodness sakes.
Obama's faux "Preacher" (Southern) cadence: dropping the "g's," adding "ah" to the end of everything as in:
AMERIC-AH
wears thin, because it's fake.
At this point, it's like, "Well, of course he gave a great speech..." But...
If all politics is a posturing of "tropes", what seems to be the default view of the linguist, why bother?
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