Do You Speak American?

Deserving of ongoing mention is a fun companion to the PBS TV special which stands well on its own and promises lasting lending value: a survey of American grammatical standards and how they are being influenced by both other cultures and media. The authors co-wrote THE STORY OF ENGLISH, which was a historical overview; DO YOU SPEAK AMERICAN shares the discoveries they made while interviewing native speakers and observing everyday verbal interactions. A fascinating account evolves. Diane C. Donovan, Editor California Bookwatch

I read this book because I am fascinated by words and dialects and how (some) linguistics experts can tell where you grew up just from the way you speak. "Do You Speak American" satisfied my craving to learn more about dialect in the United States but it went WAY beyond my expectations. In addition to presenting and discussing a FASCINATING map of major dialect regions and changes in the U.S., this book addresses two key current social issues: The (unfounded) phobia that Spanish will take over from English as the dominant language of the United States, and the (still valid) issue that even as "African American English" contributes to our culture, it separates many kids from economic mainstream access through linquistic prejudice (e.g., "if you sound like THAT you must be DUMB") The book doesn't stop there but continues addressing MORE fascinating topics including the origins of "Valley Girl/Surfer Dude" California dialects (like, totally!) and computer speech recognition efforts by BMW and Microsoft. I found the overall tone of the book UPBEAT. The research findings and interpretations presented show it's quite possible and quite HUMAN to be "bilingual" in DIALECTS as well as languages. So that we can maintain our language-based identity (where we grew up) AND claim our stake in the mainstream economy.

"Do You Speak American?" is another fine contribution by Robert MacNeil and William Cran, coauthors of "The Story of English". As this is a companion book to the televised series this recent offering does not stand alone but serves as the program's enhancement. Those of us who have followed Mr. MacNeil through his many journeys around the world in search of the ways English is enriched will find worthy chapters in "Do You Speak American?" Highlighted areas include the South, Hispanics and Black English....these three chapters encompass close to half of the book. Mr. MacNeil delivers his findings in his usual straightforward, buttoned-down Nova Scotia style. That isn't to say there isn't any humor...there is...but his earnestness keeps everything on track. My disappointment in "Do You Speak American?" is that it doesn't cover enough ground. While "The Story of English" was a major undertaking, this seems puny by comparison. It was as if the book was written almost in haste to accommodate the tv program (which, by the way, is better than the book). The north and the midwest get far less attention so the book has an unbalanced feeling to it. That said, the portions that the authors delve into most carry a certain fascination and the narrative style to which we have been accustomed is as flawless as ever. The final chapter is an odd one, but an important one....how computers take on their own "language" and how that affects us. Some of the best (and most humorous) paragraphs in the book deal with the speech-recognition system in BMWs and the reaction of owners to it. Perhaps Mr. MacNeil and Mr. Cran will do a follow-up to "Do You Speak American?" I hope they do. There's so much more to discover and these coauthors are just the men to continue looking into the many facets of "American English".

Written in a flowing, easy to read style and full of insights and facts about modern American English. Pleasurable and informative!

With characteristic wit, intellect and open-mindedness, Robert McNeil and William Cran explore the protean version of English used in America. Though they give ample time to the prescriptivist side of the argument (the side concerned with enforcing rules and determining standards of proper usage), they are clearly more in the descriptivist camp, fascinated by the way the language is actually used. The times are on their side. Informal language, once kept out of dictionaries and standards guides by the educated elite, is rushing into normal use at breakneck speed. These days, a word is hardly coined before it has been snatched up by major media outlets and put into print. And rushed out of print almost as quickly. Last week, I heard the word "gnarly" used to described a snowstorm. My teenage son was appalled. "When was the last time you heard anyone say 'gnarly'?" he asked incredulously. Mind you, this word is all of 10 years old, and it is already considered passé. McNeil and Cran describe the way American language standards are affected by the media, social trends, technology, the tastes of elites, regional accents, racial history and even civic pride. Yet they claim that accent leveling --the homogenizing of regional speech patterns -- is largely a myth. In spite of the disappearance of certain isolated regional accents and vocabulary -- like those of Down East Maine -- some accents are actually growing in strength. Pittsbughers, for instance, are consciously proud of their distinctive pronunciations, a fact that keeps them (the pronunciations) alive. Too, most people (including this writer) don't usually consider themselves to have accents at all. Our own speech is "normal"; it's those other folks who have accents! Those wishing to build predictable, enduring rules for American English are bound to dislike this book. McNeil and Cran even demolish the idea that these rules have even been around for a long time. Many were decided, after long years of variation, in the last few decades by a single influential writer. The idea of taming the use of English, when it is being twisted and molded into new shapes almost daily, seems a fool's errand. Long-fought causes now seem lost -- restricting "hopefully" to mean "It is hoped that" rather than the more common, "filled with hope"; using "impact" only as a noun; using "indices" (rather than "indexes") as the plural of "index"; the unstoppable American habit of splitting infinitives. Yet McNeil and Cran urge us not to despair. We are witnessing not the degeneration of English, but its continual evolution. Though I personally would like to see people distinguish "ensure" (to make certain) from "insure" (to protect oneself with an insurance policy) such decisions are not in my hands.