And now here comes America! This
episode analyzes several theories about American
English from the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary war, all the way
to the 1920’s. In this blog entry I have decided not to write endless
paragraphs about our linguistic history, but rather examine certain terms and
vocabulary words that are worth knowing and employing.
Buffalo
Bill:” Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show” was the introduction
of what would become America’s voice. The age of cowboys and Indians would be
the epoch that fired the English language with the Westward movement of the
American pioneers.
Yorktown: A
village of southeast Virginia on the York River north of Newport News. It was
the site of Cornwallis's surrender of the British forces (1781) in the American
Revolution. During the Civil War Union troops occupied the town after a siege
in 1862.
Melancholy: (n)
Sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom
Endowed:
(tr, v.) To provide with property, income, or a source of income.
Lexicographer: (n)
One who writes, compiles, or edits a dictionary.
Americanisms: An
English word or phrase--or
a feature of grammar, spelling, or pronunciation--that
originated in the United States and/or is used primarily by Americans.
Advocate:
(tr.
v.) To speak, plead, or argue in favor of.
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