English in America: A Linguistic History

by Natalie Schilling

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 English, reflecting who we have always been as a nation.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Linguistics, Language, American History, Cultural

Unknown Binding

First published February 15, 2016

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

That eagle on the back of a dollar bill is holding something in his beak: “E pluribus unum” which means something like “one from many.” It’s the conventional view of American English, but is that what really happened?

My friends are aware that I just finished reviewing McDine’s The Normandy Privateer and commented on his meticulous attempts to match his characters’ regions and class to the way they spoke.

Then I came across this series of lectures and jumped at the chance to learn more about how this language developed during the USA’s 300+ years.
This series is divided into twelve lectures that are one-half hour each:
1. Defining American English Dialects
2. The Foundations of American English
3. From English in America to American English
4. The Rise of American English Standards
5. Where is General American English?
6. Mapping American Dialects
7. Ethnicity and American English
8. African American English
9. Mobility, Media, and Contemporary American English
10. The History of American English Policy
11. Latino Language and Dialects in America
12. Where is American English Headed?

Good overview and history of how our language changed to become "American English" There is a difference between what is of interest to a historian and a linguist. I found the innovations of Ben Franklin and Tom Jefferson interesting, as was the real story of Noah Webster.

There was a section on how authors of literature turned from England to the new country and it seemed to parallel the events in the USA between the time of James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain.

This series begins with the big picture and becomes more detailed and more “linguistic” as it moves along. I found the questions that are still being debated among linguists less interesting than the general observations and Schilling’s firm position that all dialects are to be given equal value.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Mark Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable. A great way for English speakers to get into sociolinguistics. Best quote (though this is given from memory): “Every language is a dialect.”

[J.D. Steens · Rating 3 out of 5]

In tracing the history of English in America, Schilling states that language reflects the dominant socio-political group and its manners and culture. British English was the prevalent language in the first 150 years of American history. Subsequently with Webster, American English broke with its English roots and moved to a fully-fledged language reflecting America’s new independence and the pride and sense of identity that goes along with that. Webster notwithstanding (which also “linguistic policing”), Schilling argues that it’s still an open question about which of the American dialects* came to represent the dominant form of American English. Reflecting earlier migration settlement patterns, the main contenders seem to be New England (Yankee English), Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic region (U.S. midland), or a combination of these.

Schilling’s larger point is that from a linguistic point of view there is no inherently “correct” English language. Linguistics as a science simply describes usage without judgment vis-à-vis some standard. She says that “good” English is arbitrary and that we should, rather, describe English in terms of standard (reflecting the majority) and non-standard (dialect). This avoids negative judgements, and is more respectful of those whose language is different than our own.** I have to think about this.


*Schilling defines dialect as distinctive traits regarding pronunciation, word usage, and sentence structure.

**Given the close association between language use and cultural identity, Schilling refers to such judgements as “dialect prejudice” that is filled with negative stereotypes.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published in 2016 by The Great Courses.
Read by Natalie Schilling.
Duration: 5 hours, 55 minutes.
Unabridged.

If you are not aware of The Great Courses, they are basically college-level lectures (undergrad) on a topic. Most of them clock in at around 20 hours in length, but this one came in at just under 6 hours.

When I saw that the subtitle of this book was "A Linguistic History", I thought the audiobook would be a more formal history. Rather than present it in a typical history format, the book was presented in a scattergun type style. Everthing she covered was perfectly fine to put in her presentations and sounded perfectly good to me - I've listened to and read a few books on this topic (not enough to make me any sort of an expert).

She discusses such topics as how English may have sounded when the first English colonies were established, how American English developed new words, influences on American English from immigrants groups, African American dialects, regional dialects and more.

But, the scattered presentation style made for repeated presenation of facts and prevented a smooth flow.

There is nothing wrong with this presentation, but I think it should have gone deeper and been gone from topic to topic in a more cohesive manner.

I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5.

https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2021...

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is divided into twelve lectures that are one-half hour each:
1. Defining American English Dialects
2. The Foundations of American English
3. From English in America to American English
4. The Rise of American English Standards
5. Where is General American English?
6. Mapping American Dialects
7. Ethnicity and American English
8. African American English
9. Mobility, Media, and Contemporary American English
10. The History of American English Policy
11. Latino Language and Dialects in America
12. Where is American English Headed?

Good overview and history of how how language changed to become "American English" from Jamestown Settlement to the 21st Century. The lecturer is an associate professor of linugistics at Georgetown. While many of The Great Courses on streaming video look a little contrived and awkward (poorly timed camera cues and a lot of pacing), Professor Schilling seemed comfortable in front of the camera and less awkward than many in the series that I've seen. She did have a few verbal stumbles while mimicking accents for examples and comparisons (who wouldn't trip over those?), and I preferred that the sound editors didn't edit it out. They made the lectures feel more natural. I thought she reviewed more than necessary in some of the lectures, something I might have appreciated more if I had more time to watch them. (Because they were a loan, I had to get through them in only a few days.)

No doubt lectures seven through eleven will tick off some of the isolationist and English-only fringe element. Good. They deserved to be poked with a well-sharpened stick as often as possible. Schilling presents history that show American English is not the endangered, fragile thing that a certain segment of the media and political extremists like to paint it, while pointing out that there is no such thing as a "superior" or "better" language.

I can think of only two things that might have improved this series. First, I would like to have had more information on the slight variances in the western US since most dialect maps barely acknowledge there are any. Second, I would like to have had more information about modern Native American language trends. Schilling does talk about the Lumbee tribe in southern NC, but three's nothing on Native American dialects or patterns for residents in more isolated areas or who live on reservations where the population is not as diverse as in Robeson county.

[Tracie Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

English in America by Dr. Natalie Schilling / Great Courses

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS -PRINT: © Not Available
-DIGITAL: © Not Available
- *Audio: © May 4, 20216 Great Courses; 6 hours (approx..); unabridged (Audiobook information from the version on the Libby App.)
-FILM: Available in Video and DVD from Great courses. https://www.thegreatcourses.com/cours...

SERIES: Great Courses

CHARACTERS:
N/A

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
-SELECTED: As mentioned in a previous review, I’d been searching the library audiobooks in Libby for works on English, or grammar, or speech patterns.
I think I would love to be one of those people, like Professor Higgins, who could identify a person’s home town, and sometimes the entire path since, by listening to them speak.
When I was a switchboard operator for a hospital, we went through training on how to handle bomb threat calls. We learned to listen to diction, to pay attention to accents, pronunciations, word usages, and of course background noises in the caller's environment. It intrigued me.
-ABOUT: It’s primarily about how language takes on a common usage within regions, and there’s a good deal of history explaining the origins of people and their dialects in America.
An example of the "book's" contents is: Different regions address a group of people in their own unique ways-in some areas the common way is “you guys” (that’s my traditional way, though I’ve lately taken to y’all, which comes from the South. Some folks say, “yous”, some say, “yinz”, and some say “you’uns”.
TOC:
1
Defining American English Dialects
2
The Foundations of American English
3
From English in America to American English
4
The Rise of American Language Standards
5
Where Is General American English?
6
Mapping American Dialects
7
Ethnicity and American English
8
African American English
9
Mobility, Media, and Contemporary English
10
The History of American Language Policy

-OVERALL IMPRESSION: I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am now hoping to find materials that concentrate on the language of a single region, so I can get more familiar with nuances.

AUTHOR: Dr. Natalie Schilling. From Amazon:
“Natalie A. Schilling (also known as Natalie Schilling-Estes) is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Georgetown University.[1]

Schilling received her PhD and BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MA from North Carolina State University. Her 1996 PhD dissertation is entitled, The Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Status of /ay/ in Outer Banks English.[2]

She is an expert in sociolinguistics and forensic linguistics.[3] In collaboration with Walt Wolfram, she played an important role in documenting the High Tider variety of North Carolina English.[4] Fictionalized characters based on her have appeared in the TV shows Criminal Minds and Manhunt.[5]

In 2022, she was elected a fellow of the Linguistic Society of America.[6”

--Dr. Natalie Schilling as quoted on the Great Courses website, “If we approach language not as grammarians – as guardians of proper usage–but as scientists–as linguists–then we need to study human language as it really is, not how we think it should be.”

NARRATOR: Dr. Natalie Schilling. See above.
The Great Courses are produced as lectures, so that’s the delivery style. There are rare occasions when she backs up ever-so slightly to correct her words because this isn’t the typical audiobook where sound equipment and editing have a role. She’s interesting and the timbre of her voice is easy to listen to.

GENRE: Non-fiction; grammar; language usage

LOCATIONS: Multiple

TIME FRAME: Current and historical

SUBJECTS: Anthropology; sociology; history; grammar; accents; dialects; ethnicity; culture; language usage

DEDICATION: N/A

SAMPLE QUOTATION: Excerpt From Lecture 1: Defining American English Dialects
(Please note that this is me transcribing what I hear, so punctuation, spelling, sentence and paragraph structure errors are mine.)
“Truck, lorry, elevator, lift, suspenders, braces, vest, waistcoat, shorts, pants, panties, knickers . . .what?”
We all know that American English is different from British English. Sometimes the translations are easy, sometimes they’re confusing, and occasionally we can really embarrass ourselves. And vocabulary differences are only part of the picture. There are also pronunciations and grammatical differences between American and British English: Americans say ‘father’ and ‘mother’, and in British English it’s ‘fatha’ and ‘motha’. Also in America, we say, ‘The government is debating the issue,’ and ‘The team is winning the game’ in England the verb can also be ‘are’, ‘The government are debating,’ ‘The team are winning.’
There are also lots of differences within American English. We know a lot about these too, but there may be some things we’d like to know more about. How many American English dialects are there? Where are they spoken? And what exactly is a dialect in the first place? Are dialects the same thing as accents? Are they slang? And why would we be interested in knowing more about dialects anyway? Shouldn’t we be more concerned with making sure we know proper English?
In this course, we’re going to tackle all of these questions and more. We’ll approach our expiration (exeration? word ?) from the perspective of linguistics; the scientific study of human language. More specifically, our viewpoint is that of sociolinguistics; the study of language in its social setting, in all of its rich variety, across geographic and social space. And an interrelation to cultural, social, interpersonal, and personal identity.
Let’s start with the first couple questions. What are the dialects of American English, and where are they spoken? Picture a US map. Where would YOU draw the dialect lines? If you’re like most Americans, you probably thought of the South right away, and drew a mental map around the Southeastern United States. For some of you, this line extends as far West as Texas, while for others, Texas is its own dialect area. Florida is usually left out of the South dialect region, since it’s considered to be a region of dialect transplants, including retired people from the North and people of Hispanic heritage, and the Caribbean Islands.
Beyond the South, you may have drawn a North or a New England, or you might have gotten more specific, and labeled the speech varieties of certain cities within these larger regions. Maybe Chicago in the Midwest; maybe New York City and Boston on the East coast. Your dialect lines probably get fuzzier as you think about the Western United States, so you might have indicated a California English, or West coast English.
Hawaii and Alaska are pretty far away from the mainland US, so you probably wouldn’t have grouped them in with any of the Continental dialect divisions.
It turns out that people’s mental maps of American dialect regions align pretty closely with the dialect lines laid out by sociolinguists and dialect geographers. The most important dialect line in the US is in fact between the South and the non-South. The dividing line doesn’t exactly follow the Mason-Dixon line but is pretty close. Essentially, the line that sets off the South starts off between Maryland and Virginia and runs through Southern West Virginia, Kentucky, Southern Missouri, Southern Oklahoma, and Texas.
The Northern dialect line separates off New York state from Pennsylvania, and runs through Northern Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, and extends westward into Eastern Nebraska, South Dakota, and the whole of North Dakota.
Many dialect geographers also draw a midland dialect area between the North and South. This area encompasses the parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma that aren’t situated neatly in the North or South.
We’re probably all familiar with some of the more noticeable features of Southern American English. We know that words like ‘time’ and ‘ride’ are pronounced as ‘taam’ and ‘raad’. We also know that groups of people are addressed as ‘y’all’. We might even be familiar with some Southern grammatical structures like, ‘I’m fixin’ to go to the store’ for ‘I’m about to go to the store’, and, ‘I might could go with you’, which seems to be a softer way of saying ‘I think I can go, but I’m not sure.’ . . .”

At the Great Courses website, this first half-hour lecture is described this way:
“Begin with a big-picture overview of the American English dialect map, asking as we explore: What is the difference between a language, a dialect, and an accent? Discover the intricate rules governing all linguistic systems, and consider how and why some varieties of language become valued standards and others are stigmatized.”

RATING: 5 stars.

STARTED-FINISHED 10/18/2023-10/22/2023

[Lucy Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!! It was only 6 hours, and I wish it was longer! I liked learning the history, and I loved learning about modern American dialects! The only thing it was missing was a lecture on gay speech patterns. Then again, the Great Courses audience is pretty conservative. I definitely see myself listening to it again in a couple years. I hope she releases something else!

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of the Great Courses series. It delivers a near-college-level course. In this case it is the history of the English language as it developed in America.

I liked the course. I didn't love it. There is a lot of information given. It is well-presented, but I was hoping for something more entertaining. I am thinking of Professor Ann Curzin's courses. She provides a lot of information while interspersing personal stories throughout.

I won't be listening to this course again, even though it is a good presentation. I've heard notably better courses on the same subject.

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting information, with myriad varieties of Englishes spoken in this country, differing by North, South, Northwest, Californian, Central, multitudinous ethnicities (including German, French, and more): All of them are discussed here, historically and in modern times. I had wondered what linguistics are, and now I have an idea. I like it, and it ties into teaching English solidly, too.

[Magen - Inquiring Professional Dog Trainer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lost interest, though I finished. I expected the whole course to focus on what the first few lectures did. Unfortunately, the history of how English in America has changed was covered way too briefly and discussions on specific dialects and Englishes way to long. Probably a pass for most readers.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the Great Courses series, this is an audiobook recording of a set of lectures from by Natalie Schilling, Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University about the development of the English language in the United States from first European settlement to modern day. Influenced by culture, politics and psychology, it was fascinating to hear about the different varieties of English in different geographical locations and different social groups. I've studied basic linguistics and English language teaching, so I knew some of it already, but there was still plenty that was new to my ears. Unfortunately, instead of being purely observational, Professor Schilling sometimes injects value judgements into her talk, inappropriate in a properly objective report. She also downplays the role of American pop culture in language spread, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, and seems underinformed on the development of international English, widely spoken by non-native speakers as a common language around the world. However, if you can overlook these shortcomings, her softly accented voice is easy to listen to and she has a wealth of information to share.

[Doug Trani · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Jon McWhorter's books and lectures on linguistics set the gold standard for communicating what we know about the field to the general public, "English in America" would get a bronze medal. This is an informative lecture series that was included in the Audible Plus catalog. I don't believe I would have paid for it had it not been included in my membership. I found it informative and useful, but it lacks the depth, flair, and memorable qualities of McWhorter's works.

Having said that, "English in America" contains a great deal of interesting and useful information. I was unaware of the NY Times US dialect quiz, “How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk”, which I learned about in one of the lectures. This quiz is linked to a dialect map, which I found to be more complex than I would have guessed prior to hearing these lectures. For anyone with an Audible membership that allows access to the Plus catalog and who has an interest in American dialects, this lecture series is worth the investment of your time and effort.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my 2nd of the Great Courses. I listened to the audio version so I did not have access to any print material or illustrations that might be included with other versions. I enjoyed this course and learned a few things. I do not necessarily agree with everything the lecturer said, but the topic was presented very intelligently. Although I am an English teacher with a strong background in languages, I think this lecture series is accessible for most people who would have an interest in the topic.

[J. Alston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this. It's fascinating to learn more about dialect vs accent, and hearing the different dialects of various people was amazing. I particularly enjoyed the section about African American English; its a language I know pretty doggone well and yet I've never thought of the rules behind it, so I loved hearing it explained and saying to myself "That IS how it works!" It was just great. It's a little on the longer side for such esoteric material but I enjoyed myself.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at many aspects of the English language in the United States. Covers differences and similarities with older British English, ethnic dialects, African-American English, and Native American influences. Also explains linguistic issues such as prescriptive/descriptive, dialect/language, code switching, etc.

[Ryan Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine.

Just remember, kids: There's nothing wrong with "You be working" or "You was working", those are just examples from a couple of American dialects. And dialects can't be wrong; they're just different.

I joke because I mainly teach students to write formal written English. Just remember, kids: We don't write the way that we talk.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10. I find this topic fascinating and probably wouldn't have watched as much as I did if I weren't. I found the lecturer rather wooden. I made it through 9 of the 12 lectures. I think I would have preferred something more in-depth and a delivery that didn't feel like it was being read to me.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio Course. Gives me something productive to do while I am out driving around.

I found that this was a very interesting class. Opened up my eyes about several views and I feel more informed about the Languages and Cultures and how they have developed historically here in America.

[Amy Trostle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, yet incredibly informative guide to the formation of American dialects. The lecturer explores the various waves of immigration over the centuries and how each affected the dialects of each region. Racial/ethic dialects are also touched on, some of which I was unaware.

[AlegnaB † · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Heather Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting overview of American English on which to build further reading.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly informative and progressive.

[Jquick99 · Rating 2 out of 5]

See Magen’s review…which is spot on.

[Kasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty decent brief overview of American English. I enjoyed getting to listen to some of the different dialect breakdowns and see the way the language is evolving here in the U.S.

[John Randolph · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at America's languages and dialects. Questions remain however. Why do new dialects appear and what makes a particular dialect meaningful to a culture?

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio. I can’t imagine reading this in print. I heard President McKinley! This is so much better for being audio and hearing the vowel sounds she discussed. Excellent.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series of lectures that discuss English in the United States. It discusses the American language and statistics about how language has changed and historical been used in the country.

[Angela]

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