Title: Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words
Author: John McWhorter
Publisher: Avery
Publication date: April 1, 2025
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Non-fiction / linguistics
Source: Purchased
Rating:
With his trademark humor and flair, bestselling linguist John McWhorter busts the myths and shares the history of the most controversial language topic of our times: pronouns
The nature of language is to shift and evolve—but every so often, a new usage creates a whole lot of consternation. These days, pronouns are throwing curveballs, and it matters, because pronoun habits die hard. If you need a refresher from eighth-grade English: Pronouns are short, used endlessly, and serve to point and direct, to orient us as to what is meant about who. Him, not her. Me, not you. Pronouns get a heavy workout, and as such, they become part of our hardwiring. To mess with our pronouns is to mess with us.
But many of today’s hot-button controversies are nonsense. The singular they has been with us since the 1400s and appears in Shakespeare’s works. In fact, many of the supposedly iron-clad rules of grammar are up for debate (Billy and me went to the store is perfectly logical!), and with tasty trivia, unexpected twists, and the weird quirks of early and contemporary English, John McWhorter guides readers on a journey of how our whole collection of these little words emerged and has changed over time.
Pronoun Trouble is sure to delight word nerds everywhere! In this savory little linguistics book, author John McWhorter takes us through the history of I, you, we, he, she, they — and more! — investigating word origins and the twisty paths these pronouns have followed to get us to modern day usage.
Along the way, he proves wrong certain assumptions about usage, explains what is and isn’t logical, and how the use of singular “they” has evolved from non-specific to particular.
Does this sound like dry reading? It’s anything but.
The author makes linguistics entertaining, and even funny. For example, in a section devoted to the evolution and usage of “you guys” as a plural for you:
In cases like this, it is useful to consider that there is an alternate explanation.
I respectfully submit one: in you guys, guys no longer means guys.
Or another example of changing meanings:
For Chaucer and Shakespeare, going to referred to getting somewhere physically; both would have been thrown by someone sitting at a table and saying “I’m going to try to eat all of this in ten minutes”:” and then fressing down the food but not getting up to go anywhere.
On explaining why created pronouns don’t seem to catch on, he explores how nouns can shift and vary over time without a huge amount of resistance, because they are less foundational to daily speech, whereas:
Pronouns, in contrast, are at the very foundation of human expression at all times. Full words are the windshield wipers and the headlights — things you turn on now and then. He and she are the accelerator and the brake pedal — what you are working down below, all the time, without thinking.
Certain bits started to drag somewhat when the examples became a little too technical for my level of interest, but overall, I found this book clever, informative, and highly engaging. A terrific gift for the word lovers in your life!
Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
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