Do You Speak American?

Released: 2005-01-05

Runtime: None minutes

Episode Overview

MacNeil’s journey begins in Maine and winds around to Detroit after stops in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Ohio, and South Carolina. Along the way, he meets lobstermen who fear their unmistakable New England accents may be dying out. In New York, the series samples the power and energy of words generated by Wall Street and the worlds of advertising and publishing. John Simon, theater critic for New York magazine, and Jesse Sheidlower, principal North American editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, express their opposing views on the future of the language, while local teens translate the jargon of Instant Messaging. Linguist William Labov reveals that, years ago, a British accent was the mark of prestige; now that prestige has less currency. On a train to Pittsburgh passengers are asked to identify the areas of the country where people have the “best” accent today. On the islands off of South Carolina’s coast, African-influenced Gullah and Geetchee sound so different from Standard English that the film employs subtitles. In Detroit, a hip-hop crew exemplifies a new trend, and the story of three boys involved in an important 1979 court case underscores the danger of stereotypes based on non-“standard” speech patterns.

Series Overview

Why is the English spoken by Maine lobstermen so different from thatscene from the broadcast spoken by cowboys in Texas? Does Spanish pose a threat to English as the dominant language in America? And what on earth do yins, wickety wack, ayuh, catty whompus, and stomping it clean mean? Robert MacNeil travels cross-country to answer these questions and examine the dynamic state of American English – a language rich with regional variety, strong global impact and cultural controversy.