Category Archives: Language

An Interview with John McWhorter, author of Talking Back, Talking Black

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Ed Battistella

John McWhorter teaches linguistics, Western civilization, music history, and American studies at Columbia University. A New York Times best-selling author and TED speaker, he is a columnist for Time and regular contributor to the Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, and Washington … Continue reading →

Posted in Ideas and Opinions, Interviews, Language | Comments Off on An Interview with John McWhorter, author of Talking Back, Talking Black

Rhoticity within American English a guest post by Zachary Cagle

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Ed Battistella

Zachary Cagle is a senior at Southern Oregon University, where he will be graduating this spring with a degree in English. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career as a writer, and this essay is his first published piece. … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Comments Off on Rhoticity within American English a guest post by Zachary Cagle

In Defense of Valley Girl English, a guest post by Reilly Nycum

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Ed Battistella

Reilly Nycum is an English and History double major in the Honors College at SOU. In Defense of Valley Girl English: I’m, like, so totally gonna ace this paper. When one hears Valley girl English, the eyerolls almost become audible. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ideas and Opinions, Language | Comments Off on In Defense of Valley Girl English, a guest post by Reilly Nycum

The Language of Wine, a guest post by Sage Behan

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Ed Battistella

Sage Behan is a 2016 graduate of SOU with a degree in English and Creative Writing. Fran Lebowitz, an author and social critic, once said, “great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Comments Off on The Language of Wine, a guest post by Sage Behan