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How We Talk: American Regional English Today
 
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How We Talk: American Regional English Today [Paperback]

Allan A. Metcalf (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Booklist

MacMurray College English professor Metcalf offers a useful, if somewhat dry, exploration of the subtle and not-so-subtle differences in the way Americans speak the same language. Although Metcalf is not an especially lively writer, he packs his book chock-full of fascinating information. He discusses the origins of American regional dialects and explains why different parts of the country use different words to mean the same things (carry versus tote, for example) or why the same words are pronounced differently in the South as opposed to the North. For fiction writers hoping to create authentic-sounding dialogue, this book could function as an indispensable guide: Metcalf explains such nuances as the southern tendency to say ink pen, rather than simply pen, because the southern pronunciation of the word is virtually indistinguishable from pin. For anyone looking for an authoritative technical examination of American English, Metcalf's tome will fill the bill admirably. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

Where are you when people go to the coast instead of the beach tote things as well as carry them wait on line instead of in line get groceries in a paper sack instead of a paper bag say things like "The baby needs picked up" and "The car needs washed" eat solid rectangular doughnuts that are also called beignets complain when something is spendy ("costly") are chilled by a blue norther ask for tonic instead of soda go "dahntahn" to shop. Allan Metcalf answers these and many other fascinating questions in his new book, How We Talk: American Regional English Today. In short, delightful essays, Metcalf explains the key features that make American speech so expressive and distinct. He begins in the South, home of the most easily recognized of American dialects, and travels north to New England, then on to the Midwest and the far West, even to Alaska and Hawaii. It's all here: the northern Midwest "Fargo" accent, Louisiana Cajun and New Orleans Yat, dropped r's as in Boston's "Hahvahd Yahd," and intrusive r's as in "Warshington," especially common in America's midlands. With additional chapters on ethnic dialects and dialects in the movies, Metcalf reveals the resplendence of one our nation's greatest natural resources -- its endless and varied talk.
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3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2.0 out of 5 stars Not good enough, Mar 16 2001
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"louis610" (DREXEL HILL, PA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How We Talk: American Regional English Today (Paperback)
If you were thumbing through the American English section of your bookstore, this would not be the book you would take home. Research is what distinguishes the books in this category, and this one has only shallow, and sometimes incorrect, insights to offer. A much better book on the same topic is "How To Talk American" by Jim Crotty. Example: there are 15 pages on New York City vocabulary and pronunciation in "How To Talk AMerican", only 3 in this book. "How To Talk" is more articulate, and serves up such accurate items as Losaida and DUMBO and NoLIta that is lacking in "How We Talk". There are inaccuracies in How We Talk that I found distracting, and the contrast in value between the books is instructive. If you are interested in this topic, "How To Talk American" is accurate, well-researched and well-articulated, and "How We Talk" will let you down. Also, Bill Bryson has written a couple of books on this general topic, and they are all good reads.
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5.0 out of 5 stars An educational examination of modern regional oddities, Feb 6 2001
This review is from: How We Talk: American Regional English Today (Paperback)
How We Talk surveys American regional English, examining local sayings and figures of speech and moving across the country to access both statewide and regional quirks of language. Any studying regional language will find it an appealing, educational examination of modern regional oddities.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, Oct 24 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: How We Talk: American Regional English Today (Paperback)
This is a wonderful book. I picked it up and couldn't put it down. A perfect gift for anyone on your holiday list -- in great short essays Metcalf brings us back to the speech of the people we grew up with. Whether your grandmother cooked dropped-eggs, or picked up her groceries in a paper sack you'll love this book! A must read.
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