John McWhorter

And next thing you know, you've got so much of it stuck crowding out more important things in your head. But you can write books about it.

The way people talk is very resonant to me. And as I've gotten older, I've realized that for other people, it's the way people walk or the way somebody dances or the way people dress. But I know from a very early age, just speech was interesting. It was a window into the soul. People spoke differently. And that was about this much blackness.

The way people talk is very resonant to me. And as I've gotten older, I've realized that for other people, it's the way people walk or the way somebody dances or the way people dress. But I know from a very early age, just speech was interesting. It was a window into the soul. People spoke differently. And that was about this much blackness.

It was just listening to people in general, getting a sense that my teachers had a certain accent that the white people on TV didn't have. In Philadelphia, you say lousy, whereas Lucy says lousy. And I was thinking, well, that's interesting. Annoying my southern relatives by noticing that they had different vocabulary here and there. You know, I'm this little kid. I talk like this.

It was just listening to people in general, getting a sense that my teachers had a certain accent that the white people on TV didn't have. In Philadelphia, you say lousy, whereas Lucy says lousy. And I was thinking, well, that's interesting. Annoying my southern relatives by noticing that they had different vocabulary here and there. You know, I'm this little kid. I talk like this.

And I say, you say carry when we would say take. And they would get tired of that. But I realized it was because I was interested in dialect. Also, um... One thing I missed, and I think it's partly from being black, is I never heard black English as wrong. I didn't grow up speaking it. I grew up hearing it. I have a good passive competence. But I remember cousins who very much spoke it.

And I say, you say carry when we would say take. And they would get tired of that. But I realized it was because I was interested in dialect. Also, um... One thing I missed, and I think it's partly from being black, is I never heard black English as wrong. I didn't grow up speaking it. I grew up hearing it. I have a good passive competence. But I remember cousins who very much spoke it.

And they would use features of black English. And I would listen and not think nothing. Some people just not care. I would not think that's bad grammar, that's wrong. I wouldn't think it was exotic. I would listen to it and think, hmm, that's different from the way I would put it. And I wonder why. Is that based on something in history?

And they would use features of black English. And I would listen and not think nothing. Some people just not care. I would not think that's bad grammar, that's wrong. I wouldn't think it was exotic. I would listen to it and think, hmm, that's different from the way I would put it. And I wonder why. Is that based on something in history?

I had one cousin who was using what we call the narrative had, people who study black English. And then we had gone downstairs. And then we had seen that there was a raccoon in the basement. And then we had said, hey, let's get rid of that raccoon. And then we had gone back upstairs. And I keep waiting for, you had what? And then what? And it was just all had.

I had one cousin who was using what we call the narrative had, people who study black English. And then we had gone downstairs. And then we had seen that there was a raccoon in the basement. And then we had said, hey, let's get rid of that raccoon. And then we had gone back upstairs. And I keep waiting for, you had what? And then what? And it was just all had.

And I remember listening to Darren doing that and thinking, that must be different instead of him not knowing what had means. And then years later, I found out that linguists had written about that.

And I remember listening to Darren doing that and thinking, that must be different instead of him not knowing what had means. And then years later, I found out that linguists had written about that.

It might be a black thing. Yes. Or like when Will Smith says, well, what had happened was he's taking... That's what she did.

It might be a black thing. Yes. Or like when Will Smith says, well, what had happened was he's taking... That's what she did.

That is because it's a good, earthy, yet systematic way of using the language. It's called narrative head. There are papers about it. Notice I say papers. There's one paper about it.

That is because it's a good, earthy, yet systematic way of using the language. It's called narrative head. There are papers about it. Notice I say papers. There's one paper about it.

He would have gotten that narrative had from Harlem, most likely. From Harlem. Yeah, that's good, solid, northern black English. Yeah.

He would have gotten that narrative had from Harlem, most likely. From Harlem. Yeah, that's good, solid, northern black English. Yeah.

That gets into my parents and what they were like. And so plenty of black family speaking the dialect fluently. Mount Airy in Philadelphia was a very integrated neighborhood. The black people in the neighborhood had become middle class from mostly being working class. So there was plenty of black English spoken in the neighborhood. Close friends of mine spoke it.