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A review by quasinaut
Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk : a Visual Guide by Josh Katz
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.25
A nice selection of those quirky linguistic differences particular to different states and regions across the US. Often entertaining, relatively simplistic, but with enough depth to satisfy both the casual reader and someone with some knowledge of linguistics (I'd count myself as both).
Plus, I like how Katz diplomatically acknowledged differences without claiming that any variations are better than others, and he did a good job explaining when a word or phrase's origins are unknown -- he clearly did his research, and he offered possible histories while acknowledging the uncertainty in how some usages came to be.
Plus, I like how Katz diplomatically acknowledged differences without claiming that any variations are better than others, and he did a good job explaining when a word or phrase's origins are unknown -- he clearly did his research, and he offered possible histories while acknowledging the uncertainty in how some usages came to be.