Do You Speak American?

S1.E1 · January 5, 2005

MacNeil’s journey begins in Maine and winds around to Detroit after stops in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Ohio, and South Carolina. Along the way, he meets lobstermen who fear their unmistakable New England accents may be dying out. In New York, the series samples the power and energy of words generated by Wall Street and the worlds of advertising and publishing. John Simon, theater critic for New York magazine, and Jesse Sheidlower, principal North American editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, express their opposing views on the future of the language, while local teens translate the jargon of Instant Messaging. Linguist William Labov reveals that, years ago, a British accent was the mark of prestige; now that prestige has less currency. On a train to Pittsburgh passengers are asked to identify the areas of the country where people have the “best” accent today. On the islands off of South Carolina’s coast, African-influenced Gullah and Geetchee sound so different from Standard English that the film employs subtitles. In Detroit, a hip-hop crew exemplifies a new trend, and the story of three boys involved in an important 1979 court case underscores the danger of stereotypes based on non-“standard” speech patterns.