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What is Spanglish? |
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Presenter Melvyn Bragg
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Starting at Plymouth Rock where the Pilgrim Fathers landed in 1620, Melvyn Bragg follows the development of English in the American colony - from the war of Independence and the founding of the first capital, Philadelphia, right through to the controversial contemporary issues of Ebonics and the rise of Hispanic English or "Spanglish".
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Melvyn meets a "first settler" at Plymouth Plantation
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Plymouth, Massachusetts, is the starting point for tracing the history of English in America. It was the home of the first British settlers in 1620. The 'Plymouth Plantation' is a historical recreation of that early settlement - a 'living museum'. Scott Attwood, the programme interpreter, talks about their early existence. |
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Bill Bryson
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Bill Bryson reflects on the linguistic and other challenges faced by the settlers,
how American English has become a melting pot absorbing words from many languages,
the loss of variety as English achieves pre-eminence in the US and the world.
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Outside Independence Hall, site of the drafting of the Declaration of Independence
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Philadelphia - the Declaration of Independence is commemorated by a public reading every year, but surprisingly on the 8th July instead of the 4th of July - the declaration wasn't made public until the 8th. |
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Melvyn at George Washington Elementary School.
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The children of George Washington Elementary School tell Melvyn Bragg that their language is American and not English. |
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US regions
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Unlike in Britain, regional dialects have become pronounced only recently - since the middle of the twentieth century, and even then only among the white population.
There has, though, been a different development in the black population. A rich vernacular has developed without any strong regional differences.
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The late Tupac Shakur
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The vibrant verbal skills of Afro-American vernacular have enriched popular culture, an example of which are the lyrics of the late Tupac Shakur - a leading hip-hop star.
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'Spanglish' is a colloquial fusion of Spanish and American English among the Hispanic communities. The pre-eminence of English in America does raise a question as to whether the Hispanic tradition can survive. Other languages, such as German, have
in the end been lost in the trend towards uniformity.
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