The American Language
An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United StatesBy H. L. Mencken
Length17h 3m
About this audiobook
The American Language is a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States. The book is Menken's research of the differences between English and American language. Mencken wanted to defend "Americanisms" against a steady stream of English critics, who usually isolated Americanisms as borderline "perversions" of the "mother tongue". The book discusses the beginnings of "American" variations from "English", the spread of these variations, American names and slang. According to Mencken, American English was more colorful, vivid, and creative than its British counterpart. The book concludes with the observation in the norms of use of the proper names in America, including surnames, given names, geographical names, Menken's analysis on the American slang, and forecast on the further language development.
Audiobook details
GenreOther
Length17 hrs 3 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 21, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1PREFACE
31§ 4 Foreign Influences Today
2I. BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION
32§ 5 Processes of Word Formation
3§ 1 The Diverging Streams
33§ 6 Pronunciation
4§ 2 The Academic Attitude
34VI. THE COMMON SPEECH
5§ 3 The View of Writing Men
35§ 1 Grammarians and Their Ways
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6§ 4 Foreign Observers
36§ 2 Spoken American As It Is
7§ 5 The Characters of American
37§ 3 The Verb
8§ 6 The Materials of American
38§ 4 The Pronoun
9II. THE BEGINNINGS OF AMERICAN
39§ 5 The Adverb
10§ 1 In Colonial Days
40§ 6 The Noun and Adjective
11§ 2 Sources of Early Americanisms
41§ 7 The Double Negative
12§ 3 New Words of English Material
42§ 8 Pronunciation
13§ 4 Changed Meanings
43VII. DIFFERENCES IN SPELLING
14§ 5 Archaic English Words
44§ 1 Typical Forms
15§ 6 Colonial Pronunciation
45§ 2 General Tendencies
16III. THE PERIOD OF GROWTH
46§ 3 The Influence of Webster
17§ 1 The New Nation
47§ 4 Exchanges
18§ 2 The Language in the Making
48§ 5 Simplified Spelling
19§ 3 The Expanding Vocabulary
49§ 6 Minor Differences
20§ 4 Loan-Words
50VIII. PROPER NAMES IN AMERICA
21§ 5 Pronunciation
51§ 1 Surnames
22IV. AMERICAN AND ENGLISH TODAY
52§ 2 Given Names
23§ 1 The Two Vocabularies
53§ 3 Geographical Names
24§ 2 Differences in Usage
54§ 4 Street Names
25§ 3 Honorifics
55IX. MISCELLANEA
26§ 4 Euphemisms and Forbidden Words
56§ 1 Proverb and Platitude
27V. TENDENCIES IN AMERICAN
57§ 2 American Slang
28§ 1 International Exchanges
58§ 3 The Future of the Language
29§ 2 Points of Difference
59LIST OF WORDS AND PHRASES (pt. 1)
30§ 3 Lost Distinctions
60LIST OF WORDS AND PHRASES (pt. 2)
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