Both westward expansion and 19th-century immigration affected the development of a uniquely American English. This classic PBS program tells the story of that burgeoning dialect, from the Revolutionary War to the 1920s. Beginning with the Declaration of Independence, the program depicts the determination of American radicals—dictionary author Noah Webster among them—to achieve linguistic as well as political separation. While the urban, immigrant-laden Northeast is rightly viewed as a linguistic pressure cooker, the western frontier is portrayed as no less dynamic—thanks to fur traders, riverboat pilots, gold miners, Spanish-speaking cowboys, Native Americans, and the railroad. (59 minutes)

Tell a Friend! Your Name: Your Email: Your Friend's Email: Your Message: We respect your privacy and will not use your friend's address without permission. Item#: BVL36928 Copyright date: ©1986 DVD (Chaptered) ISBN 978-1-4213-6092-8

Part of the Series : The Story of English

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