One warm evening in March 2022, I ventured out of my apartment to go on a first date. At the time, busy with grad school, I was not keeping a diary, so most of what I remember from that night — and the ones that followed — comes from a handful of …

You’re reading the John McWhorter newsletter, for Times subscribers only. A Columbia University linguist explores how race and language shape our politics and culture. Get it with a Times subscription.We may be a polarized nation, but on a verbal …