Malcolm Gladwell

Because I don't like y'all, to be honest. I do like thou. I would like thou to come back.

But is that... This is another sort of interesting language question, though. Is that because, is that going to be as true for our children? Will our children have the same associations with thou? I mean, once, why do I think, I sang that hymn for a reason. I grew up singing that hymn. All of my associations with thou are biblical.

But is that... This is another sort of interesting language question, though. Is that because, is that going to be as true for our children? Will our children have the same associations with thou? I mean, once, why do I think, I sang that hymn for a reason. I grew up singing that hymn. All of my associations with thou are biblical.

If we move into a world in which people's association with religious practice is vanishing, then doesn't that free us up to go back and pick up a lot of that stuff?

If we move into a world in which people's association with religious practice is vanishing, then doesn't that free us up to go back and pick up a lot of that stuff?

And what about the, you mentioned this in, I believe, in passing, the English use of one. You do, yes. One, do the English upper crust resolve this problem by, if I say one in the way that English, one doesn't think that, does one? Right. What am I, am I explicitly freeing up you to be in the plural form? Is that what I'm doing?

And what about the, you mentioned this in, I believe, in passing, the English use of one. You do, yes. One, do the English upper crust resolve this problem by, if I say one in the way that English, one doesn't think that, does one? Right. What am I, am I explicitly freeing up you to be in the plural form? Is that what I'm doing?

Is that why they're doing that? Why does the English upper class use one instead of you?

Is that why they're doing that? Why does the English upper class use one instead of you?

John, sorry to be a dog with a bone here, but why don't we all use the English one?

John, sorry to be a dog with a bone here, but why don't we all use the English one?

As a kid, we would make fun of this because... My father would, I think he would use this locution and then he abandoned it. Because you're trapped once you start with the one. One doesn't think that one should do that, does one? And then you realize this is an endless stream of ones in your future.

As a kid, we would make fun of this because... My father would, I think he would use this locution and then he abandoned it. Because you're trapped once you start with the one. One doesn't think that one should do that, does one? And then you realize this is an endless stream of ones in your future.

It is. We'll be right back with more of my conversation with John McWhorter.

It is. We'll be right back with more of my conversation with John McWhorter.

We have questions.

We have questions.

Some of these questions are really good. The questions are always fun. How does English compare with other languages in terms of words on the move, the shifting of words' meaning over time?

Some of these questions are really good. The questions are always fun. How does English compare with other languages in terms of words on the move, the shifting of words' meaning over time?

Someone once told me, I don't know if this is true as a Canadian, that in Quebec, the French that is spoken is archaic French. So why is Quebecois French not moving at the same pace as French French? So that does suggest that different languages move at different rates.