The Problem With Weird Al’s ‘Word Crimes’ Video

MARM-ISH PARADISE

The celebrated parodist has a point, but much of what we’ve decided are hard-and-fast grammatical rules have more to due with style than clarity.

Published Jul. 23 2014 5:45AM EDT

articles/2014/07/23/the-problem-with-weird-al-s-word-crimes-video/140722-mcwhorter-weird-al-tease_bh3r39 — YouTube

Weird Al Yankovic’s typo-mocking “Word Crimes” video has predictably been shared quite a bit among linguists. Many might find it less predictable that our typical reaction is to shake our heads.

John McWhorter

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The Problem With Weird Al’s ‘Word Crimes’ Video

The celebrated parodist has a point, but much of what we’ve decided are hard-and-fast grammatical rules have more to due with style than clarity.

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John McWhorter