
Né(e): October 06, 1965 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
John McWhorter is a linguist, Columbia University associate professor, and New York Times opinion columnist whose work centers on language change, Black English, race, and culture. His notable books include The Power of Babel, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue, Nine Nasty Words, and Woke Racism, two of them New York Times bestsellers. ((https://www.ted.com/speakers/john_mcwhorter?utm_source=openai))
John McWhorter grew up in Philadelphia in a book-filled household, the child of parents who pursued advanced degrees while he was young. He attended integrated Quaker and Montessori schools, and his fascination with language began very early: hearing another language as a child made him want to know how speech could take multiple forms. That curiosity matured into formal study, first at Rutgers, then NYU, then Stanford, where he trained as a linguist and worked on creole languages. His early academic career included Berkeley, but a major turning point came when he moved into public argument as well as scholarship, writing on race and culture for magazines, newspapers, and think-tank audiences before joining Columbia, where he has taught linguistics, American studies, and music history.

John McWhorter
A lively exploration of language evolution, revealing surprising word origins and encouraging readers to embrace linguistic change.

John McWhorter
A witty, scholarly exploration of profanity's evolution, revealing how our most taboo words reflect societal shifts and human nature.

John McWhorter
A lively exploration of language evolution, revealing surprising word origins and encouraging readers to embrace linguistic change.

John McWhorter
A witty, scholarly exploration of profanity's evolution, revealing how our most taboo words reflect societal shifts and human nature.
"No one could make better sense of this part of speech than our national treasure, John McWhorter"
— Steven Pinker
"John McWhorter shows brilliantly how the 'nastiest' words can teach us about the dynamic and unruly nature of all language"
— Joe Moran
"John McWhorter takes a small-seeming subject, the pronoun, and with his unique mix of charm, linguistic erudition, and common sense, explains it all to us"
— Adam Gopnik
"John McWhorter ... is one of the nation's most insightful analysts of race and culture"
— Investor's Business Daily
"Honest commentary about racial controversies is rare, and John McWhorter is a writer who can be counted on to provide it"
— Jason L. Riley
"John McWhorter's Nine Nasty Words is a grand tour through the history of the profanities we (sometimes) abhor and (sometimes) revel in"
— Benjamin Dreyer