MetroLex (April 13, 2017) — Lynne Murphy
Channel: Stevonnie
Date: 23/07/2018

Lynne Murphy explores the fiction and reality of the special relationship between British and American English in her new book The Prodigal Tongue. By examining the causes and symptoms of American Verbal Inferiority Complex and its flipside, British Verbal Superiority Complex, Murphy unravels the prejudices, stereotypes and insecurities that shape our attitudes to our own language. With great humo(u)r and new insights, Lynne Murphy looks at the social, political and linguistic forces that have driven American and British English in different directions: how Americans got from centre to center, why British accents are growing away from American ones, and what different things we mean when we say estate, frown, or middle class. Is anyone winning this war of the words? Will Yanks and Brits ever really understand each other?

The Dictionary Society of North America has partnered with local organizations in the New York City area to establish a series of meetups called MetroLex. MetroLex meetups bring together lexicographers, linguists, technologists, educators, and other language professionals to share research and projects relating to dictionary technology, dictionary use, language documentation, semantic ontologies, and lexicography.

This installment of MetroLex was held at Columbia University, hosted by associate professor of English and comparative literature John H. McWhorter.

Dictionary Society of North America: http://www.dictionarysociety.com/
Columbia University: http://www.columbia.edu/