Linguist and Best Selling Author to Feature Angelo State's Symposium on American Values

SAN ANGELO, TX - A press release from Angelo State University announced that linguist and best-selling author Dr. John McWhorter will be the featured speaker for ASU’s 2016 E. James Holland University Symposium on American Values.

The symposium will be held Monday, Oct. 17, in the Houston Harte University Center, 1910 Rosemont Drive.

McWhorter’s presentation, “Changing Language, #AmericanValues”, will be covered in a two-part session. The sessions will be held in the university Center’s C.J. Davidson Conference Center. The first session will begin at 2:00 p.m. and the second at 7:30 p.m."

During the afternoon session, McWhorter will present, “Words on the Move: Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like Literally).” The evening session will feature a public question-and–answer forum moderated by Dr. John Wegner. Wegner is an ASU professor of English and dean of the Freshman College.

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Following the end of each session, an informal reception will be held from 3:15 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the University Center Tower Lobby. Both sessions and the receptions are free and open to the public.

The press release stated, “Prior to his presentations on Oct. 17, McWhorter will be the guest of honor at a barbeque at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday Oct. 16, at the LeGrand Alumni and Visitors Center, 1620 University Ave. Advance reservations are required and can be made by calling Dr. Trey Smith at 325-486-5441.”

Along with the barbeque, McWhorter will also visit several ASU classes and be the special guest at an invitation-only ASU Honor Society Luncheon on Oct. 17.

An associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, McWhorter specializes in linguistics, looking at language change and language contact. He is that author of more than a dozen books. Some books include:

• “The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language”
• “Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of ‘Pure’ Standard English”
• “Words on the Move: Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like Literally)
• “Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music in America and Why We Should Like, Care”
• “Spreading the Word: Language and Dialect in America”

The press release also added, “A regular columnists for Time and CNN, McWhorter also writes for The Wall Street Journal’s “Taste” page and writes a column on language for The Atlantic magazine. He has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Time and The New Yorker. He has appeared as a commentator on “Political Incorrect,” “Talk of the Nation,” “Today,” “Good Morning America,” “The Jim Lehrer NewsHour,” “Up with Chris Hayes” and “Fresh Air.”

McWhorter is a native from Philadelphia and has previously served as an associate professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, and taught at Cornell University. The press release also noted, “He was also a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute from 2002-10. He holds Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University, a Master of Arts from New York University and a doctorate in linguistics from Stanford University.”