Activities
The
Do You Speak American?
Web site offers special features and
interactive exercises to help you think creatively about the
state of
American English. Explore a few below. You may be
surprised by what you learn!
- Radio America
Listen to regional radio stations from all 50 states to hear the rich sounds of Americans talking. Proof that even in the media, we're not all beginning to speak and sound alike! - Track that Word!
Explore the origins and evolutions of hundreds of American words and expressions in our language database. - Take
a
Regional DARE!
Can you figure out where certain terms come from? Take our quizzes created by The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) to see if you know a kolacky from a scramble.
- Mapping Attitudes
So, who speaks the most pleasant American English? The most "correct?" Try our exercises to help crystallize your thoughts on how American English is spoken around the country. - Where
is the
Speaker
From?
Listen to audio samples from across the United States to see if you can match the speaker to the region where they live. (This exercise is tougher you may think!)
- Verb Machine
Ride, Rode, Ridden...Glide, Glode, Glidden? Why is it that some verb conjugations are considered "wrong" when they use the same rules as others spelled similarly? Run some verbs through our "machine," then consider the results!
- Chicano
English Quiz
Can tell from the way some people speak English if they also speak Spanish? Test yourself, then find out why it's important to know the answer.
- Test Your Vowel
Power
Like all living languages, English is continually changing as new words, pronunciations and grammatical structures arise and eventually supplement or replace old ones. See if you can understand the shifts now appearing in some areas of the United States.
Sponsored by:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
National Endowment |
William and Flora Hewlett |
Ford |
Rosalind P. |
Arthur Vining |
Carnegie |
© COPYRIGHT 2005 MACNEIL/LEHRER PRODUCTIONS. All Rights Reserved.