The Story of American

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The Story of American

• By Alan DeSantis

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Fun But True

• Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
  Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
  ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng
  is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit
  pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can
  sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae
  the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
  istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
• Fcuknig amzanig huh?

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Part OneAmerican LanguageA Case Study in Unity
and Diversity
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Immigration Wave 1

• During Americas first 200 years, the culture and
  its language was shaped by many different
  ethnicities
• A)
• B)
• C)

Irish
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Immigration Wave 2

• As America matured, more and more wanted to be
  part of this great experiment
• 1) Total immigration 1607-1840 was no more than
  one million.
• Until 1840, America received only 20,000
  immigrants a year (from Africa and Britain)
• 2) Then, 1845 to 1900, 30 million poured into the
  country.
• 3) 1901-1905, America absorbed 1 mill Italians,
  1 mill Austrian-Hungarians, 1/2 Mill Russians,
  and so on . . .
• At the turn of the century, NYC had more Germans
  than anywhere but Berlin Irish than anywhere but
  Dublin Russians than in Kiev Italians than in
  Malian or Naples

Italians
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Immigration Wave 3

• Today, we still have millions coming . . .

Mexican Migrant Workers
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The Fear of Contamination

• Through it all (from the 1600 to 2000) we have
  feared the impact of diverse cultures on American
  society
• We are worried about the purity of American
  culture language

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Our Two Great Fears

• 1) Jefferson and Noah Webster both thought
  American would become separate from English
• 2) Franklin thought that America would fragment
  into a number of speech communities like Europe
• Neither of these happened. Why?

Good Old Ben
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Why American Has Worked

• There are at least 6 reasons why we have not
  splintered into many fragmented cultures
• 1)

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Why American Has Worked

• 2)
• 3)

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Why American Has Worked

• 4)

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Why American Has Worked

• 5)
• 6)

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Why American Has Worked

• Within one generation, most Americans could not
  speak their parents language
• With some exceptions where there was/is
  geographical isolation, almost all immigrants
  assimilate

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Part TwoInfluences that Made American the
Largest Most Interesting Language in the World
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Making American out of English

• Just as English was shaped by the Celts,
  Christians, French, Romans, Vikings, and the
  Anglos Saxons. . .
• American was (and is) also shaped by 1) other
  cultures and 2) unique experiences
• Thus, English and American are both
• Lets see some of these influences . . .

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American Influences

• Early Americans
• Spain
• They not only gave us horses, cows, cowboys (so
  American)
• Barbecue, chocolate, tomato, marijuana, plaza,
  stampede, tornado 
• France
• Toboggans, caribous, bayou, crevasse, levee,
  depot, cents, dimes, cache, jambalaya, gopher,
  chowder, peak
•  Dutch (in New York)
• Waffle, coleslaw, cookie, landscape, caboose,
  boss, snooping, spook, Yankee, poppycock, snoop,
  dope (drugs), Santa Claus
• African Slaves
• Banjo, voodoo, jazz, gumbo, jitter, cola, yam,
  zombie

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American Influences

• Place Names
• England Boston, Greenwich, Cambridge, Oxford,
  London (all old towns), Charlestown, Jamestown,
  Maryland Carolina (after Royals)
• Native Americans 26 of the 50 state names
  Connecticut, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas,
  Dakotas, Massachusetts, most rivers and streams
• World HistoryTroy, Utica, Athens, Paris,
  Corinth, Memphis, Sparta, Cicero, Cairo,
  Versailles, Rome, Cincinnati
• FrenchMichigan, Illinois, Louisiana, Detroit,
  Baton Rouge, St. Louis, Des Moines
• Spanish Florida, Santa Fe, San Antonio, Los
  Angeles, Appalachians
• Famous People Washington (a state, the nations
  capital, 31 counties, and 120 towns), Lincoln
  (2nd most popular), Clay (towns in 18 states).

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American Influences

• Place Names
• The Funniest Toad Suck, Idiotville, Boring,
  Chucklehead Diggings, Git up and Git, Dead Mule,
  One Eye, Puke, Shitbritches Creek, Whiskey Dick
  Mountain, Dead Bastard Peak, Two Tits, Shit-House
  Mountain, Fucking Creek, Tickle Cunt Branch,
  Coldass Creek, Pee Pee, Two Eggs, Ding Dong, Hot
  Coffee, Blue Balls, PA (right next to
  Intercourse)
• Names That Sound Indian Indiana, Wyoming,
  Oklahoma Idaho (the latter two were coined by
  congress because they thought it sounded like
  good Indian)
• The Best of KY Sugar Tit, Rabbit Hash, Bug,
  O.K., and 88 (Interestingly, in 1948, 88 people
  voted for Truman and 88 voted for Dewey)

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American Influences

• Ben Franklin
• Presidential, bamboozle, colonization, advocate,
  bookstore
• Frontier (in a new and rough land)
• Bluff, notch, gap, divide, and clearing took new
  meaning
• Hickory, live oak, sweet potato, eggplant,
  squash, bullfrog, groundhog, garter snake,
  Backwoodsman, squatter, prairie, clapboard,
  popcorn, bobsled, sleigh
• Lewis Clark 178 plants and 122 animal names,
  including grizzly bear, Yellowstone, great
  plains, prairie dog
• Native Americas
• Wigwam, hickory, pecan, chipmunk, moose,
  terrapin, totem, papoose, squaw, moccasin,
  tomahawk, igloo, kayak, Pow-wow
• Sayings smoking a pipe of peace, war paint, fire
  water, Indian summer, playing possum, bury the
  hatchet, go on the warpath

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American Influences

• Cowboy (Spanish)
• Stampede, desperado, ranch, coral, rodeo, bronco,
  lasso, chaps, bandit, vamoose, gringo (meaning
  Greek)
• Cowboy (American)
• lollapalooza,, discombobulate, hornswagal, bite
  the dust, hot under the collar, tight (),
  cowboy, punch, hand (for helper), pardner, jeans
• Expressions He is a Maverick (a man who did not
  brand his horses), real McCoy

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American Influences

• 19th 20th Century Immigration
• Italianspizza, lasagna, espresso, minestrone,
  parmesan, pasta, tortellini, macaroni, ravioli,
  broccoli, zucchini
• GermansWestinghouse, Heinz, Budweiser, dont be
  fresh, dumb, cookbook, bum, cylinder,
  kindergarten, ouch, scram, and how, hold on,
  deli, ouch, ecology, fresh, hoodlum, nix, phony,
  scram, will do, let it be
• Jewish/Yiddishchutzpah, smaltsy, hole in the
  head, who needs it, enough already, schmooze,
  nosh, schlep, kibitz, mensch, if youll excuse
  the expression, I need it like a hole in the head
• IrishThe largest group gave us virtually nothing
  (like their Celtic ancestors) hooligan,
  speakeasy, slew
• Japanesekamikaze, karate, judo, ninja, sushi,
  tycoon, tsunami, karaoke

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American Influences

• Gold Rush (1840s)
• Gold mine (for good thing), pay dirt, panning for
  gold, panning out, strike it rich
• Americas Capitalism (1850-1950)
• Time is money, self-made man, well-to-do, money
  bag, tycoon, manufactories, millionaires, slum,
  sweatshop, tenement, skyscraper, get on the
  ground floor, sitting pretty, on easy street),
  dead broke, flat broke, sound as a dollar,
  terms for money (beans, dough, c-note, buck,
  sawbuck)
• Harlem (1910-30)
• Jazz (again), jam session, jive talk, beat,
  groovy, too much, hip, send me, solid, chick

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Corporate Brand (that have become synonymous
with the item)

• Trademarked Names
• Singer
• Hoover (England)
• TV Dinners (for all frozen meals)
• Xerox
• Coke (South)
• Kleenex
• Jell-O
• Q-Tips

• Un-trademarked names
• Many lost in legal battles
• thermos
• cellophane
• shredded wheat
• zipper
• bubble gum
• aspirin
• escalator
• yo-yo
• At one time, all these were capitalized and
  worth a fortune

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Yo-Yo . . . What a name!
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But what about our expressions?
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Americas Expressions Sports (used by men
corp. America)

• Football
• Blindside
• Cheap shot
• Game plan
• Punt
• Quarterback
• Superbowl
• Fumble
• Drop the ball
• Hunting
• In my sights
• Blow your load
• Shooting blanks

• Golf
• Par for the course
• Boxing
• Throwing in the towel
• Taking one on the chin
• Hitting below the belt
• Horse Racing
• Home stretch
• By a nose
• Playing the Field
• Dead Heat
• Neck and Neck
• Jockeying for Position
• Basketball
• Slam Dunk
• Nothing But Net

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Whole new meaning to Shoot Your Load
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Americas Expressions Baseball (used by men
corp. America)

• Strike 3 (blow it)
• Homerun (to succeed)
• You're out of here (to leave)
• Lets play ball (to start a deal)
• Keep you head in the game (stay focused)
• Keep you eye on the ball (stay focused)
• Throwing a curve ball (an unseen trick)
• Out in left field (a bit crazy)
• Off the wall (a bit crazy)
• Hard Ball (serious business)
• Swinging for the fences (attempting something
  bold)
• And of course, the bases metaphor in making out
• Where you can strike out

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Americas Expressions War (used by men corp.
America)

• Behind enemy lines
• Bombard
• Break ranks
• Land minds
• Booby trap
• Attack (food, women, etc)
• Surrender (give up)
• Dodging a bullet
• Dont give up the ship
• Dog fight

• Shell shock
• Blockbuster
• Type of bomb
• Ground zero
• Fall out
• No-mans land
• Going over the top
• Digging in
• Dud

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Grunts
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War Metaphors in Football

• Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium,
  sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial
  Stadium. In football the object is for the
  quarterback, also known as the field general, to
  be on target with his aerial assault, riddling
  the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly
  accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to
  use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long
  bombs, he marches his troops into enemy
  territory, balancing this aerial assault with a
  sustained ground attack that punches holes in the
  forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
• George Carlin

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Americas Expressions Gambling

• Crap shoot
• To follow suit
• Hit the jackpot
• Just for openers
• To stand pat
• You bet I do
• Deal me out
• Ill pass
• Bet your bottom
• Fold (quit)
• High roller

• Pass the buck
• The knife, not
• Fair, big, raw deal
• Stack the deck
• Deal from the bottom
• Poker face
• Call the bluff
• Ante-up
• Up and ante
• Blue chip
• Cashing in your chips
• String along

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You bet your life
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Americas Expressions Railroad

• Getting up a head of steam
• In the clear
• Back tracking
• Side tracked
• Rite of way

• Stream lining
• Gravy train
• Main lining
• Drug use
• Make the grade
• Reaching the end of the line
• One track mind

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All fired up
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Conclusion
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The Never-Ending Story

• At the turn of the century, words were being
  added to American dictionaries at a rate of 1,000
  per year
• Today, according to NYT, the rate has increased
  from 15,000 to 20,000 per year
• The newest Random House Dictionary, second
  edition (1987), included 50,000 new words that
  did not exist only 21 years earlier

Too many words