Pioneers! O Pioneers!
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 Declaratio...
Judicial opinions: the Supreme Court justices
With every ruling, the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court shape the judicial landscape of America - and the lives of its citizens. In this NewsHour program, Robert MacNeil and other esteemed journalists take a close look at several renowned jur...
The “Muvver” Tongue
In the 19th century, English spread throughout the British Empire—but which English? This classic PBS program traces the roots of white Commonwealth English to Cockney, the language of London’s working class. Explaining the influence of Cockney ...
Loaded Weapon
The Irish experience reflects two language traditions, English and Gaelic. This classic PBS program shows how English was first established in Ireland in the 17th century and how, in cases of violent cultural conflict, language can function as a wea...
The Guid Scots Tongue
The Scottish tongue is one of the oldest in Britain, a Northern variety of English that, but for the accidents of history, might have become a separate language. This classic PBS program deals with the influence of the Scots in spreading the languag...
Cultural Illiteracy
Cultural illiteracy among today’s teenagers threatens the fabric of society, according to Professor E.D. Hirsch, Jr., author of the best-seller, Cultural Literacy. Hirsch defines cultural literacy as familiarity with the common knowledge literate ...
The Empire Strikes Back
Will standard English, as it was known in the 20th century, disappear? Will English continue as the global tongue, or will its numerous varieties become, as offshoots of Latin did, a host of mutually unintelligible languages? This classic PBS progra...
Do you speak American? Out west
In this program, Robert MacNeil heads to California to take part in meaningful dialogues on Spanglish, Chicano, Ebonics, and "Surfer Dude" before going to Seattle to consider the implications of voice-activation technology. Linguist Carmen Fought, S...
Explaining globalization
Everyone talks about globalization, but what does it really mean? And what are its implications for the average American? In this compilation of NewsHour segments, experts from the U.S. and abroad speak their minds on a shrinking world and an expand...
A Muse of Fire
As the landscape of the New World awakened England’s imagination, so did a new landscape of words—in the English of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible. This classic PBS program describes the spread of English to North America and expla...