Splendiferous Speech: How Early Americans Pioneered Their Own Brand of English

by Rosemarie Ostler Narrated by Erin Bennett

Overview

What does it mean to talk like an American? According to John Russell Bartlett's 1848 Dictionary of Americanisms, it means indulging in outlandish slang-splendiferous, scrumptious, higgeldy piggedly-and free-and-easy word creation-demoralize, lengthy, gerrymander. American English is more than just vocabulary, though. It's a picturesque way of talking that includes expressions like go the whole hog, and the wild boasts of frontiersman Davy Crockett, who claimed to be "half horse, half alligator, and a touch of the airthquake." Splendiferous Speech explores the main sources of the American vernacular-the expanding western frontier, the bumptious world of politics, and the sensation-filled pages of popular nineteenth-century newspapers. It's a process that started with the earliest English colonists (first word adoption-the Algonquian raccoon) and is still going strong today. Author Rosemarie Ostler takes listeners along on the journey as Americans learn to declare linguistic independence and embrace their own brand of speech. For anyone who wonders how we got from the English of King James to the slang of the Internet, it's an exhilarating ride.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"I read about language every day, and I was still delighted and surprised by almost every page. You’ll find new, splendiferous ways of looking at the men (and occasionally women) of American history—as creators of a new language as well as a new country.” —Mignon Fogarty, podcaster and author of
Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing


“Splendiferous Speech is the compelling and engaging story of American English’s tumultuous adolescence, and every page will give you new appreciation of the words and expressions that make American English so vibrant.” —Erin McKean, founder of Wordnik and author of Totally Weird and Wonderful Words and The Secret Lives of Dresses


“A delightful tour of how America claimed English for itself, weaving together into a vibrant lexical tapestry contributions from knickerbockers and Yankees, cattle ranchers and gold prospectors, the jargon of Wall Street and the floor of Congress, and the patter of the bars and the streets.” —Arika Okrent, author of In the Land of Invented Languages

FEBRUARY 2019 - AudioFile

This audiobook doesn’t reflect the vibrancy of its premise that American English, as opposed to other forms, has a freewheeling democratic component that reflects the ease with which it incorporates new words and new usages and embraces confounding complexities. While narrator Erin Bennett has a clear, bright voice, she presents this work as an academic exercise as opposed to an audiobook intended for a general audience. Part of the issue is the author’s approach, but it’s up to Bennett to make the words accessible. She does pace herself well and vary her pitch, and we can hear every word. In the end, though, Bennett could have done more to engage listeners and make this audiobook more meaningful. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170606573
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	11/27/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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