Word Crimes (with John McWhorter)
April 3, 2025
57 min
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880 of 1,003
April 3, 2025
Word Crimes (with John McWhorter)
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Preet Bharara Episodes Around April 3, 2025
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57:46This episodeWord Crimes (with John McWhorter)
Summary
Why is changing pronouns so controversial?
That’s the question at the heart of Pronoun Trouble, the latest book from linguist and author John McWhorter. In this week’s episode, McWhorter joins Preet to unpack the surprisingly fraught world of English grammar—from the history of words like “thou” and “y’all” to the modern debate over the singular “they.”
Later in the episode, constitutional law scholar Max Stearns joins the show to explore what the American system might learn from parliamentary democracies around the world.
For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/word-crimes-with-john-mcwhorter/
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