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 Speaking American written by Richard W. Bailey and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2012-01-23 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Investigates the history and continuing evolution of American English, from the 16th century to the present, to celebrate the endless variety and remarkable inventiveness that have always been at the heart of our language. By the author of Images of English: A Cultural History of the Language.

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 Pronouncing American English written by Gertrude F. Orion and published by Newbury House. This book was released on 1997 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A pronunciation guide for students of English as a second language, concentrating on sounds, stress and intonation.

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 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 171 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 English Like an American for Native Spanish Speakers Habla ingl s como los americanos written by Amy Gillett and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book McGraw Hill s Conversational American English written by Richard A. Spears and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2010-09-22 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learnmore than 3,000 English expressions and speak and understand the language easily As a new speaker of English, you may hear some expressions in your daily conversations that you do not understand--yet. McGraw-Hill's Conversational American English will help you learn these expressions, so not only do you know what a person is saying to you, but that you can use the expression yourself! More than 3,000 expressions are organized by theme, so you can find what you are looking for quickly. And each topic is illustrated to further help you understand context. The book features: Common expressions are batched into 350 themes, ranging from general greetings and asking how someone is, to the more specific needs, like showing disbelief, asking someone’s intentions, and expressions for a forgotten word or name A comprehensive thematic glossary provides an additional means for the learner to locate expressions by key words and concepts Topics include: Basic Social Encounters, Greetings, Small Talk, Introductions, Ending a Conversation, Good-Byes, Agreeing, Disagreeing Conversational Encounters, Focusing Attention, Launching the Conversation, Making Friends, Complex Matters, Disputes, Discussion and Resolution, Polite Encounters, Prefaces, Communication Barriers

Download or read book The American Accent Guide written by Beverly A. Lujan and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intended to help develop communication skills for professional advancement and social situations. It is recommended that students use the book in the initial stages of learning. Then practice again and again relying primarily on the sound discs.

Download or read book Speak English Like an American for Native Chinese Speakers written by Amy Gillett and published by Language Success Press. This book was released on 2008-07 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you're a native Chinese speaker wanting to improve your conversational English, this book and audio CD set is for you... What's the secret to speaking English better? It's mastery of those tricky idioms and phrases that are so common in English. And learning these idioms and phrases will not only help you speak better, it'll help you understand Americans better. In this course, you'll join an American family as they go about their day-to-day lives. Along the way, you will master over 300 of today's most common English idioms and expressions! All idioms are defined in both English and Chinese. Discover why thousands of students from around the world are turning to Speak English Like an American to improve their everyday English skills...this book & CD sets is a fun and effective way to improve your English.

Download or read book Speak English Like an American written by Amy Gillett and published by Language Success Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The audio CD contains all of the dialogues in the book.

Download or read book Inventing English written by Seth Lerer and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2015-08-25 with total page 527 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of English from the age of Beowulf to the rap of Eminem, “written with real authority, enthusiasm and love for our unruly and exquisite language” (The Washington Post). Many have written about the evolution of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary, but only Seth Lerer situates these developments within the larger history of English, America, and literature. This edition of his “remarkable linguistic investigation” (Booklist) features a new chapter on the influence of biblical translation and an epilogue on the relationship of English speech to writing. A unique blend of historical and personal narrative, both “erudite and accessible” (The Globe and Mail), Inventing English is the surprising tale of a language that is as dynamic as the people to whom it belongs. “Lerer is not just a scholar; he's also a fan of English—his passion is evident on every page of this examination of how our language came to sound—and look—as it does and how words came to have their current meanings…the book percolates with creative energy and will please anyone intrigued by how our richly variegated language came to be.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Download or read book English with an Accent written by Rosina Lippi-Green and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its initial publication, English with an Accent has provoked debate and controversy within classrooms through its in-depth scrutiny of American attitudes towards language. Rosina Lippi-Green discusses the ways in which discrimination based on accent functions to support and perpetuate social structures and unequal power relations. This second edition has been reorganized and revised to include: new dedicated chapters on Latino English and Asian American English discussion questions, further reading, and suggested classroom exercises, updated examples from the classroom, the judicial system, the media, and corporate culture a discussion of the long-term implications of the Ebonics debate a brand-new companion website with a glossary of key terms and links to audio, video, and images relevant to the each chapter's content. English with an Accent is essential reading for students with interests in attitudes and discrimination towards language.

Download or read book If Only They Didn t Speak English written by Jon Sopel and published by Random House. This book was released on 2017-09-07 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'You see, if only they didn’t speak English in America, then we’d treat it as a foreign country – and probably understand it a lot better’ ‘the sanest man in America’ – Bill Bryson ‘Jon Sopel nails it’ – Emily Maitlis **With a brand new chapter, charting Trump's first year in power** As the BBC’s North America Editor, Jon Sopel has had a pretty busy time of it lately. In the time it’s taken for a reality star to go from laughing stock to leader of the free world, Jon has travelled the length and breadth of the United States, experiencing it from a perspective that most of us could only dream of: he has flown aboard Air Force One, interviewed President Obama and has even been described as ‘a beauty’ by none other than Donald Trump. Through music, film, literature, TV and even through the food we eat and the clothes that we wear we all have a highly developed sense of what America is and through our shared, tangled history we claim a special relationship. But America today feels about as alien a country as you could imagine. It is fearful, angry and impatient for change. In this fascinating, insightful portrait of American life and politics, Jon Sopel sets out to answer our questions about a country that once stood for the grandest of dreams, but which is now mired in a storm of political extremism, racial division and increasingly perverse beliefs.

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.