John McWhorter convincingly argues that there is no such thing as an absolutist standard English forevermore etched in stone. The very first section of this beautiful book is aptly entitled "Language: A Living Organism." McWhorter takes to task those laboring "under the common illusion that a language ought be a static, unchanging system." It should be immediately added that language is an intrinsically nebulous activity. A word is meaningless unless used in a particular context. Even the infamous "n" word may have a positive connotation when used among friends. So-called Black English is simply another form of communication that pragmatically works for some people. The only valid question is whether these individuals sufficiently understand each other. If the answer is yes, then it minimally qualifies as a language. Alas, every group of people embracing a minority language must compromise and accept a standard language that best responds to the needs of the overall majority. There are, though, no set rules in achieving this goal. A democratically premised culture must do its best to resolve this never ending messy and thankless task. Feelings will inevitably be hurt, and feathers will be ruffled. Democracies are not perfect institutions, only far better than all of the alternatives.
"Put simply, the term language is shorthand for a collection of dialects, of which one happens to be used by the elite and written down, while the others are not," insightfully declares McWhorter. One might also point out that all human beings have the ability to invent a new word. However, others must be converted over to
accepting any such attempt at originality. Words constantly evolve, and some prominent today may disappear tomorrow. McWhorter and I almost certainly agree that the conceded nebulousness of language is no reason to succumb to the nihilism of the philosophical deconstructionists. Both of us harshly view the Stanley Fishs and Jacques Derridas of the academic community. A human being's developed virtue of prudential judgment is more than adequate to guide them through the challenge of ascertaining a workable consensus meaning for each and every word.
McWhorter's brilliant work is not merely an Afro-American scholar's effort to confront the conventionally conservative white language establishment. On the contrary, this esteemed professor has written a masterpiece on the very nature of language itself. "Word on the Street" should be in everyone's personal library.
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