Hi John, I stumbled on this series of lectures entirely by accident. Not being a student (or even an especially interested bystander) of Linguistics - I have no preconceptions on the subject matter you discuss. However, your speaking style and obvious enthusiasm (for almost everything !) make these pieces both entertaining and interesting to the layman, as well as "academic" (clearly their main purpose). Having once done a little light reference on some of the linguistic jargon (inflection, affix, tone etc. are all words I "know", but convey a rather different meaning in the context of your world) I find this content really interesting, without the need to understand what has gone before. You have an unique style of oral presentation, Mr McW, which I very much enjoy - through which you are able to bring to life even the most esoteric topics for the uninitiated or uncommitted. Thank you for your enthusiasm.
I hope any smart scholar viewing this video and related ones will read my work (and those of the other uniformitarians he cites) to realize that John McWhorter discusses a strawman, having distorted my/our positions, to further his creole exceptionalism position. I do recognize creoles as an interesting historic group of languages, which actually prompt us to reopen the books on genetic linguistics. Disputing the exceptionalism of creoles does not entail that they are relevant to the study of genetic linguistics in particular.
Hi, Dr. Mufwene. I'm interesting in compiling a video on the debate. Can you point me to some publicly available resources for your work or sources that present your points to your satisfaction? I'd be super grateful.
I love your lectures. I found you first from your The Great Course lectures. When I heard about your essay on anti-racism mentioned in the Tom Woods Show podcast I looked you up and was so excited to find you had a RUclips channel. Your work has inspired this amateur Lexicographer to take his love of words to the next level. Thank you
In one of his Stanford lectures on the evolution of human biology, Dr. Robert Sapolsky mentions a proposal that most Creole languages share a common grammar structure despite diverse pidgin origins. Anyone have any suggested reading and or thoughts on this notion?
I think David Bickerton supports that idea in his language bioprogram theory. He wrote a book called Bastard Tongues which I heard is a good introduction for non-specialists.
In response to Mufwene here, those of you who consult his work or that of the other Uniformitarians will find my points in this lecture - and the others - utterly unaddressed. I highly suspect, in fact, that Mufwene has never read a single article I have written on creoles from beginning to end. You will also find that I have not distorted Mufwene’s arguments in the slightest. In my book The Creole Debate, I carefully anticipate Mufwene’s claims of misinterpretation and explain clearly and conclusively why those claims are mistaken. You need only read his works that I refer to, in which you will also see that his ideas indeed leave no reason for linguists to study these languages as a group at all.
Loving this content although I know very little about this subfield of Linguistics. As always I appreciate the depth and conciseness of your argumentation.
I'd like to talk to you about a theoretical model I've been working with that was developed originally for an application for speech recovery and language acquisition. It may have some bearing on your work in terms of defining a creole, and how they come to present with the features they have, and why they lack the predicted retained features, as well as putting some of the claims by the Uniformitarians into context.
I hope you expand your topics to include what's happening in the world because sometimes your buddy, Glenn, from blogging heads TV, just overwhelms the conversation!
"It's On. Let's Go." McWhorter is such a scrappy dog! Sic 'em, John! Next you gotta do a series eviscerating the etymologists who don't acknowledge Celtic influence on English!
Hi John, I stumbled on this series of lectures entirely by accident.
Not being a student (or even an especially interested bystander) of Linguistics - I have no preconceptions on the subject matter you discuss. However, your speaking style and obvious enthusiasm (for almost everything !) make these pieces both entertaining and interesting to the layman, as well as "academic" (clearly their main purpose).
Having once done a little light reference on some of the linguistic jargon (inflection, affix, tone etc. are all words I "know", but convey a rather different meaning in the context of your world) I find this content really interesting, without the need to understand what has gone before.
You have an unique style of oral presentation, Mr McW, which I very much enjoy - through which you are able to bring to life even the most esoteric topics for the uninitiated or uncommitted. Thank you for your enthusiasm.
I hope any smart scholar viewing this video and related ones will read my work (and those of the other uniformitarians he cites) to realize that John McWhorter discusses a strawman, having distorted my/our positions, to further his creole exceptionalism position. I do recognize creoles as an interesting historic group of languages, which actually prompt us to reopen the books on genetic linguistics. Disputing the exceptionalism of creoles does not entail that they are relevant to the study of genetic linguistics in particular.
Hi, Dr. Mufwene. I'm interesting in compiling a video on the debate. Can you point me to some publicly available resources for your work or sources that present your points to your satisfaction? I'd be super grateful.
Bruh. This goes harder than most rap mixtapes. #BEEFSEASON
I love your lectures. I found you first from your The Great Course lectures. When I heard about your essay on anti-racism mentioned in the Tom Woods Show podcast I looked you up and was so excited to find you had a RUclips channel. Your work has inspired this amateur Lexicographer to take his love of words to the next level.
Thank you
In one of his Stanford lectures on the evolution of human biology, Dr. Robert Sapolsky mentions a proposal that most Creole languages share a common grammar structure despite diverse pidgin origins. Anyone have any suggested reading and or thoughts on this notion?
I think David Bickerton supports that idea in his language bioprogram theory. He wrote a book called Bastard Tongues which I heard is a good introduction for non-specialists.
In response to Mufwene here, those of you who consult his work or that of the other Uniformitarians will find my points in this lecture - and the others - utterly unaddressed. I highly suspect, in fact, that Mufwene has never read a single article I have written on creoles from beginning to end. You will also find that I have not distorted Mufwene’s arguments in the slightest. In my book The Creole Debate, I carefully anticipate Mufwene’s claims of misinterpretation and explain clearly and conclusively why those claims are mistaken. You need only read his works that I refer to, in which you will also see that his ideas indeed leave no reason for linguists to study these languages as a group at all.
Loving this content although I know very little about this subfield of Linguistics. As always I appreciate the depth and conciseness of your argumentation.
Has anyone tried to determine if they can spot a creole language without comparing it to its adstrates?
Looking forward to the next lecture!
I'd like to talk to you about a theoretical model I've been working with that was developed originally for an application for speech recovery and language acquisition. It may have some bearing on your work in terms of defining a creole, and how they come to present with the features they have, and why they lack the predicted retained features, as well as putting some of the claims by the Uniformitarians into context.
I hope you expand your topics to include what's happening in the world because sometimes your buddy, Glenn, from blogging heads TV, just overwhelms the conversation!
"It's On. Let's Go." McWhorter is such a scrappy dog! Sic 'em, John! Next you gotta do a series eviscerating the etymologists who don't acknowledge Celtic influence on English!
SO COOL
Up the Professor A Grant
Creoles are from Egypt!
Naturally...
Haitian is NOT the c word.