John McWhorter

Thank you for it not being about they and them. Okay, you, yeah. That was the one that was the funnest to write.

The book is, it's not just a book about they. I mean, I think there already is a book Just about they, I couldn't have sustained anyone's attention for that long. It's each pronoun. So there's I, there's you, there's he, she, it, there's we, and there's they. So that's seven chapters. Notice that it's compact.

The book is, it's not just a book about they. I mean, I think there already is a book Just about they, I couldn't have sustained anyone's attention for that long. It's each pronoun. So there's I, there's you, there's he, she, it, there's we, and there's they. So that's seven chapters. Notice that it's compact.

And the idea is to give the history of each one of those little words and then to discuss some controversy that is connected with them. we kind of resist controversy. That chapter was a challenge because I was thinking nobody fights over we, but I got a chapter out of it anyway. But that was the point.

And the idea is to give the history of each one of those little words and then to discuss some controversy that is connected with them. we kind of resist controversy. That chapter was a challenge because I was thinking nobody fights over we, but I got a chapter out of it anyway. But that was the point.

And of course, when I was writing it in 2023 on a sun porch upstate, I was thinking, ha ha, happy linguistic pronouns, because The book before this was called Woke Racism, and it was a bourbon-fueled, angry little screed that needed to be written in 2020. But it's this book where I'm screaming on every page, and books like that are not fun to write.

And of course, when I was writing it in 2023 on a sun porch upstate, I was thinking, ha ha, happy linguistic pronouns, because The book before this was called Woke Racism, and it was a bourbon-fueled, angry little screed that needed to be written in 2020. But it's this book where I'm screaming on every page, and books like that are not fun to write.

So after that was over, I thought, I want to do one of the happy language books. And I thought, what about the pronouns? The last thing I was thinking was all of this debate we're having now about trans identity, et cetera. I was just writing about pronouns. So the book has fallen into a different atmosphere than I was expecting. But really, it's just

So after that was over, I thought, I want to do one of the happy language books. And I thought, what about the pronouns? The last thing I was thinking was all of this debate we're having now about trans identity, et cetera. I was just writing about pronouns. So the book has fallen into a different atmosphere than I was expecting. But really, it's just

Me enjoying pronouns like in Nine Nasty Words, I enjoyed profanity. That's what this book is.

Me enjoying pronouns like in Nine Nasty Words, I enjoyed profanity. That's what this book is.

I don't mean that you all are a problem. Oh, there was some black English, too. We will get there. That was silly. That was the problem. So it used to be, yeah, exactly, exactly. Thou, Malcolm, as opposed to you in the audience. That's how English is supposed to be. Thou art sitting in a chair.

I don't mean that you all are a problem. Oh, there was some black English, too. We will get there. That was silly. That was the problem. So it used to be, yeah, exactly, exactly. Thou, Malcolm, as opposed to you in the audience. That's how English is supposed to be. Thou art sitting in a chair.

You are sitting, to be honest with the lighting, I can't tell what you're sitting in, but I presume they are chairs. And so thou. and you. You're supposed to have singular and then a plural one. In early Middle English and before, there was a dual. So if it's just you two, then it was yeet. And so thou, yeet, and you. And then they had case forms. Thou, if it's subject, thee, if it's an object.

You are sitting, to be honest with the lighting, I can't tell what you're sitting in, but I presume they are chairs. And so thou. and you. You're supposed to have singular and then a plural one. In early Middle English and before, there was a dual. So if it's just you two, then it was yeet. And so thou, yeet, and you. And then they had case forms. Thou, if it's subject, thee, if it's an object.

You was the object form. Yee was the subject form, like hear yee. And then yeet didn't do that. But the possessive of yeet, if you wanted to say you two's book, ink book. Get that. And so Got it wrong. No. Ink was the object form. Yeet and then ink. So I've done it all for you too, my children. I've done it all for ink. Inker was the possessive.

You was the object form. Yee was the subject form, like hear yee. And then yeet didn't do that. But the possessive of yeet, if you wanted to say you two's book, ink book. Get that. And so Got it wrong. No. Ink was the object form. Yeet and then ink. So I've done it all for you too, my children. I've done it all for ink. Inker was the possessive.

So you had all of these you forms and everything's chugging along. And today all we have is you. Not even ye and you, just you. Thou is gone, no thee, just you. It all just falls away.

So you had all of these you forms and everything's chugging along. And today all we have is you. Not even ye and you, just you. Thou is gone, no thee, just you. It all just falls away.

It's like it had a disease, yeah. Thou is the one we miss. We need thou. We need thou. We need it back right now. But we can't do it.