{"product_id":"do-you-speak-american-paperback","title":"Do You Speak American? - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRobert MacNeil\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eWilliam Cran\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIs the growing influence of Spanish threatening to displace English in the United States? Are America's grammatical standards in serious decline? Has the media saturation of our culture homogenized our speech? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese and other questions catapulted Robert MacNeil and William Cran, coauthors of the language classic The Story of English, on a journey that took them around the country in search of answers. Do You Speak American?, the companion volume to a PBS special, is the tale of the surprising discoveries they made while interviewing a host of native speakers and observing everyday verbal interactions across the country. Examining the histories and controversies surrounding both written and spoken American English, MacNeil and Cran address highly emotional anxieties and assumptions about our language-and offer some unpredictable responses. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith insight and wit, MacNeil and Cran bring us a compelling follow-up to The Story of English that is at once a celebration and a potent study of our singular language. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIs American English in decline? Are regional dialects dying out? Is there a difference between men and women in how they adapt to linguistic variations? \u003cbr\u003eThese questions, and more, about our language catapulted Robert MacNeil and William Cran--the authors (with Robert McCrum) of the language classic \"The Story of English--across the country in search of the answers. \"Do You Speak American? is the tale of their discoveries, which provocatively show how the standard for American English--if a standard exists--is changing quickly and dramatically. \u003cbr\u003eOn a journey that takes them from the Northeast, through Appalachia and the Deep South, and west to California, the authors observe everyday verbal interactions and in a host of interviews with native speakers glean the linguistic quirks and traditions characteristic of each area. While examining the histories and controversies surrounding both written and spoken American English, they address anxieties and assumptions that, when explored, are highly emotional, such as the growing influence of Spanish as a threat to American English and the special treatment of African-American vernacular English. And, challenging the purists who think grammatical standards are in serious deterioration and that media saturation of our culture is homogenizing our speech, they surprise us with unpredictable responses. \u003cbr\u003eWith insight and wit, MacNeil and Cran bring us a compelling book that is at once a celebration and a potent study of our singular language. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach wave of immigration has brought new words to enrich the American language. Do you recognize the origin of \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. blunderbuss, sleigh, stoop, coleslaw, boss, waffle? \u003cbr\u003eOr \u003cbr\u003e2. dumb, ouch, shyster, check, kaput, scram, bummer? \u003cbr\u003eOr \u003cbr\u003e3. phooey, pastrami, glitch, kibbitz, schnozzle? \u003cbr\u003eOr \u003cbr\u003e4. broccoli, espresso, pizza, pasta, macaroni, radio? \u003cbr\u003eOr \u003cbr\u003e5. smithereens, lollapalooza, speakeasy, hooligan? \u003cbr\u003eOr \u003cbr\u003e6. vamoose, chaps, stampede, mustang, ranch, corral? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. Dutch 2. German 3. Yiddish 4. Italian 5. Irish 6. Spanish\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIs the growing influence of Spanish threatening to displace English in the United States? Are America's grammatical standards in serious decline? Has the media saturation of our culture homogenized our speech? These and other questions about American English catapulted Robert MacNeil and William Cran, authors (with Robert McCrum) of the language classic \u003ci\u003eThe Story of English\u003c\/i\u003e, on a cross-country journey in search of answers. A fascinating follow-up to \u003ci\u003eThe Story of English\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Do You Speak American?\u003c\/i\u003e is the tale of the surprising discoveries they made along the way. \u003cbr\u003eDid you know: \u003cbr\u003e*Southern speech is now the largest accent group in the United States. \u003cbr\u003e*Valley Girl and Surfer Dude dialects are becoming more influential across the world. \u003cbr\u003e*Black Americans and white Americans speak less like each other today than they did two and three generations ago. \u003cbr\u003e*Spanglish, Chicano English, and Chicano Spanish are three distinct and thriving American dialects. \u003cbr\u003e*Women adopt new pronunciations and speech styles more quickly than men. \u003cbr\u003e*People react to synthetic computerized voices in the same way they react to real human voices. \u003cbr\u003e*A milkshake is called a frappe in Massachusetts. \u003cbr\u003eRobert MacNeil and William Cran are the coauthors of \u003ci\u003eThe Story of English\u003c\/i\u003e (with Robert McCrum). The coanchor of PBS's The MacNeil\/Lehrer NewsHour until his retirement in 1995, Robert MacNeil is also the author of two volumes of memoir and three novels, including, most recently, \u003ci\u003eBreaking News\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.6 x 8 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 14, 2005\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47454680350898,"sku":"9780156032889","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/740f9144f43e7a96de3050dc351595df.webp?v=1778857596","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/do-you-speak-american-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}