Do You Speak American?

PBS Documentary: "Some people, on the other hand, believe that American language is not only healthy, but it's going through a period of creativity not unlike the time of Shakespeare because we invent words so casually, prodigiously, promiscuously."

I just saw "Do You Speak American?" that was a fascinating discourse on how much the English language has diversified.

Pennsylviania apparently as words like "yins", similar in dialect to "you'uns", "y'all" (Southern), "youse all", "you all", "all of you." And "aht" meaning the opposite of in: "out." "Wooduh", for water. Does that spell the end of English? Fuhgedda-boutdit (New York).

As you go down to the Southern states, you get the more Appalachian-based and "hillbilly" dialects from Daniel Boone to Davy Crockett. Jeff Foxworthy was hilarious in his impersonation of Southern accent. Some samplings: "innuendo" "I saw a bird fly inneundo (in your window)", and witchudidja for "you didn't take it wit' yuh, did yuh?

Then they went to a place called Mamou, where Cajun culture has taken roots with mixture of French and English.

Then westward to Texas, with the eastern drawl and the western twang. In between is the source of the most creative metaphors of all the states, with city Texans being called "all hat and no cattle". In fact, they apparently originated "bite the dust". The more colorful phrases are "well butter my butt and call me a biscuit", "meaner than a skillet full of rattlesnakes", and "his pants were so tight if he'd farted it would have blowed his boots off."

South to El Cenizo, we came upon many Spanish speakers, saying things like "What's up, dawg? What you bin up to, foo'?"

Then up to Los Angeles, where that Californian accent comes in, with the like, interesting slangs, like "cool", "rad", "gnarly". "The waves were cranking." "She look so curvy, you can tell she is really clean." "Like" has substituted for both "um" and for "quote unquote".