Download or read book Do You Speak American written by Robert Macneil and published by Nan A. Talese. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is American English in decline? Are regional dialects dying out? Is there a difference between men and women in how they adapt to linguistic variations? These 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. On 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. With 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. Each wave of immigration has brought new words to enrich the American language. Do you recognize the origin of 1. blunderbuss, sleigh, stoop, coleslaw, boss, waffle? Or 2. dumb, ouch, shyster, check, kaput, scram, bummer? Or 3. phooey, pastrami, glitch, kibbitz, schnozzle? Or 4. broccoli, espresso, pizza, pasta, macaroni, radio? Or 5. smithereens, lollapalooza, speakeasy, hooligan? Or 6. vamoose, chaps, stampede, mustang, ranch, corral? 1. Dutch 2. German 3. Yiddish 4. Italian 5. Irish 6. Spanish
Download or read book Speaking American written by Josh Katz and published by Mariner Books. This book was released on 2020-09 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did you know that your answers to just a handful of questions can predict the zip code of where you grew up? Speaking American offers a visual atlas of the American vernacular--who says what, and where they say it--revealing the history of our nation, our regions, and the language that divides and unites us.
Download or read book American Accent Training written by Ann Cook and published by Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated. This book was released on 2000 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Directed to speakers of English as a second language, a multi-media guide to pronouncing American English uses a "pure-sound" approach to speaking to help imitate the fluid ways of American speech.
Download or read book Speak With a New York Accent written by Ivan Borodin and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2012-06-01 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finally, the go-to handbook for pulling off a convincing New York Accent. Hollywood dialect coach Ivan Borodin invites you to benefit from twenty years of preparing actors for stage and screen. The New York born instructor outlines the major aspects of this famously aggressive accent, including: *Monotone delivery *Increased nasality *Favoring the upper lip *'Yuge' changes *Unraveling contractions After going through this program, you'll have the audience convinced you're a New Yorker mid-way through your first sentence. This course is innovatively supported by free-to-access YouTube videos. Study this book while a veteran dialect coach spoon feeds you the subtleties of the accent. Interested in mastering a New York accent? Then this course will take you there in a very different way. Benefit from the best of two decades of experience. Awaken the New Yorker in you with this straightforward publication from a dialectician with a profound love of accents. 'Speak with a New York Accent' takes the exotic art of performing with dialects and delivers easy-to-follow lessons. Break all barriers to learning the New York accent with this book, and at your next audition the casting directors will be scraping their jaws off the floor. This program is also extremely helpful for comedians and voice-over artists. Ivan Borodin has taught dialects and accent reduction since 1993 at Los Angeles City College and Los Angeles Valley College Community Services, and several other schools. He has worked as a dialect coach on several films, including 'The Truth about Angels'.
Download or read book A History of American English written by J. L. Dillard and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-09-25 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This impressive volume provides a chronological, narrative account of the development of American English from its earliest origins to the present day.
Download or read book How to Speak Midwestern written by Ted McClelland and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pittsburgh toilet, squeaky cheese, city chicken, shampoo banana, and Chevy in the Hole are all phrases that are familiar to Midwesterners but sound foreign to anyone living outside the region. This book explains not only what Midwesterners say but also how and why they say it and covers such topics as: the causes of the Northern cities vowel shift, why the accents in Fargo miss the nasality that's a hallmark of Minnesota speech, and why Chicagoans talk more like people from Buffalo than their next-door neighbors in Wisconsin. Readers from the Midwest will have a better understanding of why they talk the way they do, and readers who are not from the Midwest will know exactly what to say the next time someone ends a sentence with "eh?".
Download or read book More Speak English Like an American written by Amy Gillett and published by Language Success Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More Speak English Like an American brings you another 300+ idioms and expressions you need to know. Maybe you have already read Speak English Like an American. But this is not a necessary requirement. You can start with this new book, if you like, and work back. This popular ESL book features a new story and new American English idioms and expressions. In More Speak English Like an American, you'll follow the story of an American business as its employees come up with new product ideas, travel to China, throw themselves into office romances, and have exciting adventures. This book contains dozens of exercises and includes hundreds of usage examples, including some from American newspapers. Complete with illustrations and an audio CD of all the dialogues. Most books teach classroom English. When it comes to everyday life, this can seem unreal. And make you seem unreal. Our emphasis is on helping you talk, sound, and think like a native speaker. We also help you pick up more native English from movies and TV, newspapers, books, and the Internet. More Speak English Like an American helps you recognize and understand idioms whenever you see or hear them.
Download or read book Speak Business English Like an American written by Amy Gillett and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CD and book designed to teach idioms and expressions used in the American business world.
Download or read book Amerika jin No Y ni Eigo O Hanas written by Amy Gillett and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book You Are What You Speak written by Robert Lane Greene and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2011-03-08 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An insightful, accessible examination of the way in which day-to-day speech is tangled in a complicated web of history, politics, race, economics and power." - Kirkus What is it about other people’s language that moves some of us to anxiety or even rage? For centuries, sticklers the world over have donned the cloak of authority to control the way people use words. Now this sensational new book strikes back to defend the fascinating, real-life diversity of this most basic human faculty. With the erudite yet accessible style that marks his work as a journalist, Robert Lane Greene takes readers on a rollicking tour around the world, illustrating with vivid anecdotes the role language beliefs play in shaping our identities, for good and ill. Beginning with literal myths, from the Tower of Babel to the bloody origins of the word “shibboleth,” Greene shows how language “experts” went from myth-making to rule-making and from building cohesive communities to building modern nations. From the notion of one language’s superiority to the common perception that phrases like “It’s me” are “bad English,” linguistic beliefs too often define “us” and distance “them,” supporting class, ethnic, or national prejudices. In short: What we hear about language is often really about the politics of identity. Governments foolishly try to police language development (the French Academy), nationalism leads to the violent suppression of minority languages (Kurdish and Basque), and even Americans fear that the most successful language in world history (English) may be threatened by increased immigration. These false language beliefs are often tied to harmful political ends and can lead to the violation of basic human rights. Conversely, political involvement in language can sometimes prove beneficial, as with the Zionist revival of Hebrew or our present-day efforts to provide education in foreign languages essential to business, diplomacy, and intelligence. And yes, standardized languages play a crucial role in uniting modern societies. As this fascinating book shows, everything we’ve been taught to think about language may not be wrong—but it is often about something more than language alone. You Are What You Speak will certainly get people talking.
Download or read book Learning to Speak American written by Colette Dartford and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can a house renovation in the gorgeous Napa Valley let two bereaved parents learn to love again? A moving and engaging debut novel . . . shortens the dark nights' Santa Montefiore. An emotional and uplifting story of starting again, perfect for fans of Hilary Boyd and The Tea Planter's Wife. Having suffered in silence since the tragic death of their young daughter, Lola and Duncan Drummond's last chance to rediscover their love for one another lies in an anniversary holiday to the gorgeous Napa Valley. Unable to talk about what happened, Duncan reaches out to his wife the only way he knows how - he buys her a derelict house, the restoration of which might just restore their relationship. As Lola works on the house she begins to realise the liberating power of letting go. But just as she begins to open up, Duncan's life begins to fall apart. After all the heartbreak, can Lola and Duncan learn to love again? 'A heartrending story, well-told, about coping with unimaginable loss. Dartford evokes strong, sympathetic characters while writing fluently and from the heart. I raced through it.' Hilary Boyd, author of Thursdays in the Park 'A beautiful read, lyrically written, poignant and emotional' - Nicola Cornick, internationally bestselling author of House of Shadows 'Does everything a good book should do; it made me smile, it made me cry, it taught me lessons about life and love I didn't know before' - Claire Dyer, author of The Moment
Download or read book Speak it Louder written by Deborah Wong and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-07-19 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Speak It Louder: Asian Americans Making Music documents the variety of musics-from traditional Asian through jazz, classical, and pop-that have been created by Asian Americans. This book is not about "Asian American music" but rather about Asian Americans making music. This key distinction allows the author to track a wide range of musical genres. Wong covers an astonishing variety of music, ethnically as well as stylistically: Laotian song, Cambodian music drama, karaoke, Vietnamese pop, Japanese American taiko, Asian American hip hop, and panethnic Asian American improvisational music (encompassing jazz and avant-garde classical styles). In Wong's hands these diverse styles coalesce brilliantly around a coherent and consistent set of questions about what it means for Asian Americans to make music in environments of inter-ethnic contact, about the role of performativity in shaping social identities, and about the ways in which commercially and technologically mediated cultural production and reception transform individual perceptions of time, space, and society. Speak It Louder: Asian Americans Making Music encompasses ethnomusicology, oral history, Asian American studies, and cultural performance studies. It promises to set a new standard for writing in these fields, and will raise new questions for scholars to tackle for many years to come.
Download or read book When God Talks Back written by T.M. Luhrmann and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2012-11-13 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Notable Book A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012 A bold approach to understanding the American evangelical experience from an anthropological and psychological perspective by one of the country's most prominent anthropologists. Through a series of intimate, illuminating interviews with various members of the Vineyard, an evangelical church with hundreds of congregations across the country, Tanya Luhrmann leaps into the heart of evangelical faith. Combined with scientific research that studies the effect that intensely practiced prayer can have on the mind, When God Talks Back examines how normal, sensible people—from college students to accountants to housewives, all functioning perfectly well within our society—can attest to having the signs and wonders of the supernatural become as quotidian and as ordinary as laundry. Astute, sensitive, and extraordinarily measured in its approach to the interface between science and religion, Luhrmann's book is sure to generate as much conversation as it will praise.
Download or read book Mastering the American Accent with Online Audio written by Lisa Mojsin and published by Barrons Educational Services. This book was released on 2016-09-15 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mastering the American Accent is an easy-to-follow approach for reducing the accent of non-native speakers of English. Well-sequenced lessons in the book correspond over eight hours of audio files covering the entire text. The audio program provides clear models (both male and female) to help coach a standard American accent. The program is designed to help users speak Standard American English with clarity, confidence, and accuracy. The many exercises in the book concentrate on topics such as vowel sounds, problematic consonants such as V, W, TH, the American R and T and others. Correct lip and tongue positions for all sounds are discussed in detail. Beyond the production of sounds, the program provides detailed instruction in prosodic elements such as syllable stress, emphasis, intonation, linking words for smoother speech flow, common word contractions, and much more. Additional topics that often confuse ESL students are also discussed and explained. They include distinguishing between casual and formal speech, homophones (e.g., they're and there), recognizing words with silent letters (e.g., comb, receipt), and avoiding embarrassing pronunciation mistakes, such as mixing up "pull" and "pool." Students are familiarized with many irregular English spelling rules and exceptions, and are shown how such irregularities can contribute to pronunciation errors. A native language guide references problematic accent issues for 13 different language backgrounds. Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.
Download or read book Oration by Frederick Douglass Delivered on the Occasion of the Unveiling of the Freedmen s Monument in Memory of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Park Washington D C April 14th 1876 with an Appendix written by Frederick Douglass and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2024-06-14 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.
Download or read book Dare to Speak written by Suzanne Nossel and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A must read."—Margaret Atwood A vital, necessary playbook for navigating and defending free speech today by the CEO of PEN America, Dare To Speak provides a pathway for promoting free expression while also cultivating a more inclusive public culture. Online trolls and fascist chat groups. Controversies over campus lectures. Cancel culture versus censorship. The daily hazards and debates surrounding free speech dominate headlines and fuel social media storms. In an era where one tweet can launch—or end—your career, and where free speech is often invoked as a principle but rarely understood, learning to maneuver the fast-changing, treacherous landscape of public discourse has never been more urgent. In Dare To Speak, Suzanne Nossel, a leading voice in support of free expression, delivers a vital, necessary guide to maintaining democratic debate that is open, free-wheeling but at the same time respectful of the rich diversity of backgrounds and opinions in a changing country. Centered on practical principles, Nossel’s primer equips readers with the tools needed to speak one’s mind in today’s diverse, digitized, and highly-divided society without resorting to curbs on free expression. At a time when free speech is often pitted against other progressive axioms—namely diversity and equality—Dare To Speak presents a clear-eyed argument that the drive to create a more inclusive society need not, and must not, compromise robust protections for free speech. Nossel provides concrete guidance on how to reconcile these two sets of core values within universities, on social media, and in daily life. She advises readers how to: Use language conscientiously without self-censoring ideas; Defend the right to express unpopular views; And protest without silencing speech. Nossel warns against the increasingly fashionable embrace of expanded government and corporate controls over speech, warning that such strictures can reinforce the marginalization of lesser-heard voices. She argues that creating an open market of ideas demands aggressive steps to remedy exclusion and ensure equal participation. Replete with insightful arguments, colorful examples, and salient advice, Dare To Speak brings much-needed clarity and guidance to this pressing—and often misunderstood—debate.
Download or read book Speak English Fluently Like a Native American in Just One Week written by Shuchi Mishra and published by . This book was released on 2018-11-04 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book DescriptionIn this book, I am talking about "how to speak like a Native American in just one week, short and simple. Therefore, if you wish to speak clear and confident English like an American even without visiting the United States, you'll be able to achieve this by following the simple steps that are explained in detail in this book. The goal of this book is for you to be understood and confident while you speak. You have spent years and years studying and practicing the English language. You are fluent in English but if your pronunciation is unclear then your message will not be heard or understood. For you to be effective in your English pronunciation, you must learn to speak English in a way that others will easily understand you. I firmly believe that anyone can learn to use fluent English pronunciation no matter your age or whether you live in the United States or in another country. If you follow this book step by step, you will be able to speak like a native American.These days English is taught increasingly as an international language. To use English as an international language, the only real issues are those that affect intelligibility. The important thing is to be able to communicate with others, be they native or non-native speakers. Everybody has an accent, although, if you think that a person doesn't have an accent, this could be because they have the same accent as you. A person's accent is part of their history and their identity. If you are working for any US client, you might be in trouble, if you don't speak like a native American.American accent is the most popular accent in the world. Spread around the world by American cinema, music, television etc, this is the easiest accent for most people to understand, whether native speakers or non-native speakers. This is understood by most people worldwide. Most people expect to hear the accent they're familiar with. Anything else stands out. Speak English Like A Native American Will Help You in your career advancement look more professional boost your career tremendously Who This Book Is ForIf you are in the management role, English clearly is important so that you don't feel hesitant to speak up or ask questions. Otherwise, you will feel like a bit of a 'second-class citizen' if you don't have a good accent.If you are managing international meetings, and need to be understood by a lot of different nationalities in the meetings. If you are misunderstood by people around you, and it's frustrating to have to repeat yourself again and again.If you want to move to Australia/England/ the U.S.This book will take your English to the next level. You can start real conversations with native English speakers. You have studied English for years and yet you still do not speak well. When you speak English, you make grammar mistakes. Your pronunciation is not clear. Worst of all, you feel nervous and shy when you try to speak English. You read English well, but after all these years you still cannot speak well. The problem is we learn traditional grammar in schools/colleges. With traditional grammar, you can become a good writer but not a good fluent speaker. You can read but still, you feel shy to speak English. English is not just a list of words and grammar rules. Speaking fluent English is usually just about knowing the right thing to say in any given situation.This book will tell you how to feel stronger, calmer, and more powerful when speaking English. You may find it difficult to learn and speak English in the absence of right guidance. This book provides a blueprint to practice everyday conversation.Is it possible to learn a new language? Can it be possible for you to speak like a true native American? Of course the answer is "yes!" And I will show you how, enjoy
