Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (51 min. 4 sec.) ; 308846775 bytes |
Summary |
This eight-part series traces the journey of the English language, telling the incredible story of how English survived against all the odds. In this final episode Melvyn Bragg travels to the United States, examining the influences and changes that helped make American-English evolve. Words like "skyscraper", "well-heeled", "yes-man", "go-getter", "lobby" and "elevator" are all American terms. In Britain, correct language was associated with manners and, of course, class, so to them, American-English was thought to be a class-less version of English. As Oscar Wilde famously said, "We have nearly everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, English". Charles Dickens noted how American-English "corrupted" the language, while American poet Walt Whitman called it "the apotheosis of slang", a glorious new language and alternative to the formality of British English. This program also examines how, after WWI, new terms were injected into the language, like "bombarded" and "shell-shocked", noting at this time also that a shift of power in many areas to America was evident, including the realm of language. Also examined is the injection of terms of African-American origin into American-English, many from jazz and blues music, like "shimmy", "hippy" (from "hippie-cat") and "boogie-woogie". (From the UK, in English) |
Event |
Broadcast 2007-11-16 at 19:30:00 |
Notes |
Classification: PG |
Subject |
English language -- Etymology.
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English language -- Grammar.
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English language -- Phraseology.
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Skyscrapers.
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Illinois -- Chicago.
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Form |
Streaming video
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Author |
Wattis, Nigel, director
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Bragg, Melvyn, host
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