English in America: A Linguistic History

Overview

Course No. 2274
Follow a Professor of Linguistics to trace the history of our language from the Jamestown settlement to our modern era of mass immigration, globalization, and Internet communication.

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 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.

Video Lectures

1. Defining American English Dialects (31 min)
   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?
2. The Foundations of American English (30 min)
   The main English dialect hubs in the new American colonies were centered on Jamestown, New England, and Philadelphia.
3. From English in America to American English (30 min)
   Explore how the English settlers gradually transformed themselves from colonists to American citizens.
4. The Rise of American Language Standards (29 min)
   In the 1800s, America began looking inward, not to England, for its language standards.
5. Where Is General American English? (29 min)
   Our journey continues with the westward expansion of American English.
6. Mapping American Dialects (29 min)
   What do you call a big road where you drive fast: highway, parkway, freeway, or something else?
7. Ethnicity and American English (30 min)
   America has always been a land of immigrants, and American English has been shaped by contact among immigrants.
8. African American English (31 min)
   Explore the indelible linguistic effects of the peoples of African descent who were brought to America as slaves.
9. Mobility, Media, and Contemporary English (28 min)
   Moving into 20th-century America, examine how changes in movement patterns of peoples, and of information, have affected language change.
10. The History of American Language Policy (30 min)
    What’s the official language of the United States? What should it be?
11. Latino Language and Dialects in America (28 min)
    In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, America has seen an upsurge in immigration.
12. Where Is American English Headed? (31 min)
    Secure as a major player on the world stage, the U.S. can now look inward and focus on the intra-national linguistic and cultural diversity.