English in America: A Linguistic History
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Narrated by:
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Natalie Schilling
About this listen
Think about this: How would you address a group of two or more people? Would you say "you", "you all", "yous", "you lot", "y'all", "you guys", "you'uns", "yinz", or something else? Would that change depending on whom you were talking to or where you were? Your answers can provide revealing insights into who you are, where you grew up or live now, and your social, economic, and educational background.
Welcome to the enthralling world of linguistics. If you've ever been curious about how words like awesomesauce ever came to be, let alone made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, or if you've wondered why you say "firefly" and someone else calls the same insect a "lightning bug", English in America is for you.
There's an incredibly rich and colorful history behind American English. A profoundly diverse assortment of cultures has influenced our vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar, and the language continues to grow and shift. Dialect variations are widespread and actually increasing, and the new words, accents, and sentence structures both reflect and shape changes in our culture and society. Investigating these dialects is the domain of sociolinguistics, the study of the intricate interrelation between language variation and cultural, interpersonal, and personal identity.
Over 24 lectures, you'll encounter a wide range of ethnic and social groups that have shaped the course of the development of American English over the centuries: English speakers from all over the British Isles; speakers of West African languages; immigrants from Western and Eastern Europe; speakers of languages from Asia; and Spanish speakers from all over the world. In considering the contributions of these groups, you'll also gain deep insights into the perceptions - and misperceptions - about language and dialect variation. As you'll discover, American English is an umbrella term for many different EnglishES, reflecting who we have always been as a nation.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2016 The Great Courses (P)2016 The Teaching Company, LLCRelated to this topic
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The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
- By: Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Daniel N. Robinson
- Length: 30 hrs and 11 mins
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Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions-without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.
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A Hard Review to Write
- By Ark1836 on 11-20-15
By: Daniel N. Robinson, and others
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Falling in Love with Romance Movies
- By: Eric R. Williams, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Eric R. Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
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Why have viewers always had a love affair with romance movies? From tragic love stories, like Romeo + Juliet, to feel-good rom-coms, like Sleepless in Seattle, people simply cannot get enough of these movies. Join Professor Eric R. Williams to analyze dozens of titles that fall under the scope of "romance films"—inviting students to see old favorites in a new light and introduce them to elements of romance in movies one might not consider to be part of the genre.
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Wonderful!
- By Ranran on 10-22-19
By: Eric R. Williams, and others
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Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World
- By: Prince Ea, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Prince Ea
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
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10 interview-based episodes that take ancient designs and applies them to modern lives. Your expert is Prince EA, an artist and inspirational speaker who’s spent the greater part of his career thinking about the ancient world.
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Ooh my gosh, best course I’ve listened too
- By Margie on 11-08-23
By: Prince Ea, and others
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The Evidence for Modern Physics
- How We Know What We Know
- By: Professor Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Don Lincoln
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
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In this 24-lesson course aimed at non-scientists, noted particle physicist Dr. Don Lincoln of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory covers more than a century of progress in physics, describing exactly how scientists reach the conclusions they do. He starts with the atom, which was long hypothesized but wasn’t definitively proven until a paper by Albert Einstein in 1905. That was just the beginning, as researchers probed ever deeper into the atom’s complex structure, leading to the weird findings of quantum mechanics.
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Strongly Recommend for Everyone
- By Liam A on 05-23-21
By: Professor Don Lincoln, and others
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Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
- By: Pamela Bedore, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Pamela Bedore
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
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Can literature change our real world society? At its foundation, utopian and dystopian fiction asks a few seemingly simple questions aimed at doing just that. Who are we as a society? Who do we want to be? Who are we afraid we might become? When these questions are framed in the speculative versions of Heaven and Hell on earth, you won't find easy answers, but you will find tremendously insightful and often entertaining perspectives.
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A very enjoyable and educational audiobook
- By NH on 04-06-17
By: Pamela Bedore, and others
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World War II: Up Close and Personal
- By: Keith Huxen, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Keith Huxen
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
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From the icy front lines of Soviet Russia to the bombing campaigns against Britain to the American submarines lurking beneath the choppy waters of the Pacific, step into the shoes of remarkable everyday men and women in World War II: Up Close and Personal. Your lecturer is Dr. Keith Huxen, a historian and project director at The Henry M. Jackson Foundation, which supports the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
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Fascinating, Captivating, Heartbreaking
- By BookAddict12 on 12-02-21
By: Keith Huxen, and others
What listeners say about English in America: A Linguistic History
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mary
- 04-27-23
Great!
This course is more enjoyable than the linguistics class I was required to take in college.
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- ian
- 09-10-22
Worth Listening to
I learned alot about linguistics and I was shocked to find out how many different languages we actually speak in the U.S. These lectures opened my eyes to how different and similar we all really are and I'm appreciative for having listened to them.
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- msjodi777
- 08-06-18
Makes me glad I'm a life-long learner
Many years ago, my grandfather would tell us that any day we didn't learn something was a day we had wasted. It's his fault, that I try to learn something new every day, and when I found The Great Courses, I knew I had found just what I needed. That was over 10 years ago, and this course is one of the latest I have listened to.
While it isn't a story, there is a bit of a story to the history of the English language in the US. There are lots of bits of information that you would never even think to look for - for instance, do you know what OK originally meant? I do, it's in the course. The teacher not only explains how US English moved away from UK English and why, but also explains how different dialects got started. All in all an excellent course.
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4 people found this helpful
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- John S.
- 10-14-16
Started out well
but I grew less interested as the author introduced her own politics into the story. More ... conservative readers would likely find that a complete turn-off; for me it was more of an annoyance. When she's sticking to linguistics, her presentation skills are good.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Olga
- 10-23-19
Too short!
The author stuttered at times but overall it was a pleasure. The only problem I have is how short the book was. I hope for more!
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- hello kitty
- 06-17-20
really appreciate the linguist perspective
A good holistic introduction, not only to Englishes, but language use in general
in the United States.
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- Christopher Torgersen
- 12-06-16
Less interesting than I'd hoped
I've been bingeing on linguistics books for the past year, and I listened to this one right after a John McWhorter one. Big mistake. McWhorter is one of the most gifted speakers in the field. Dr. Schilling, while not exactly bad, is not nearly as dynamic. It's closer to listening to an audiobook, in that it always sounds like she's reading. In fact, a few times I was struck by a mental image of her as a student standing in front of a class reading from a paper.
The topic is interesting, although I have to say that I wasn't as engaged as I have been for most other linguistics books, perhaps because I already knew a lot of the material from other sources. If you haven't read or heard any histories of English before, or if you have no background in linguistics, this might be more interesting for you.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Marcos
- 06-02-16
A truly great course for newbies and experts alike!
A really insightful and entertaining course! Prof. Schilling presents a nuanced perspective on language in the US that is accessible to all.
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- daniel fam
- 04-09-16
Great Stuff, Political Nonsense, More Great Stuff
Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Natalie Schilling?
Yes.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
An entertaining overview of the arrival and development of the English language in America, with lots of insight into how the various dialects developed.
Any additional comments?
Schilling veers into nonsense land for several sections with what turns out to be a bit of a diatribe on supposed majority prejudices against nonstandard dialects of minorities. It is a bit rich after her required linguist's assertion (without much proof here, although it is prima facie obvious to anyone who has ever thought about language) that all dialects are equal in complexity and depth. If this is true, then it follows that no dialects are better than others, even if they are used by supposedly oppressed groups. It would seem Dr. Schilling believes some dialects are more equal than others when the assertion suits a identity-based political agenda. But these sections of political opinion can be skipped when they become irksome. The majority of the lecture series is both entertaining, thought-provoking, and informative. Schilling has a delightful delivery, as well. It is certainly worthwhile, good stuff in the main, and recommended.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Alexis Meskill
- 06-21-16
learned good basics
I am an English teacher in a rural US high school with a lot of students who will not go on to college and need reasons to pass English classes to graduate. being able to give students fun and interesting reasons why our language is the way it is will positively affect my teaching. I do wish more time were spent on midland states and not so much emphasis on the southern dialects
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3 people found this helpful