Splendiferous Speech: How Early Americans Pioneered Their Own Brand of English [Paperback]

What does it mean to talk like an American? According to John Russell Bartlett’s 1848Dictionary of Americanisms,it means indulging in outlandish slang—splendiferous, scrumptious, higgeldy piggedly—and free-and-easy word creation—demoralize, lengthy, gerrymander.American English is more than just vocabulary, though. It’s a picturesque way of talking that includes expressions likego the whole hog, and the wild boasts of frontiersman Davy Crockett, who claimed to be “half horse, half alligator, and a touch of the airthquake.”Splendiferous Speechexplores the main sources of the American vernacular—the expanding western frontier, the bumptious world of politics, and the sensation-filled pages of popular nineteenth-century newspapers. It’s a process that started with the earliest English colonists (first word adoption—the Algonquianraccoon) and is still going strong today. Author Rosemarie Ostler takes readers along on the journey as Americans learn to declare linguistic independence and embrace their own brand of speech. For anyone who wonders how we got from the English of King James to the slang of the Internet, it’s an exhilarating ride.

“I read about language every day, and I was still delighted and surprised by almost every page. You’ll find new, splendiferous ways of looking at the men (and occasionally women) of American history—as creators of a new language as well as a new country.”—Mignon Fogarty, podcaster and author of
Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

“Splendiferous Speechis the compelling and engaging story of American English’s tumultuous adolescence, and every page will give you new appreciation of the words and expressions that make American English so vibrant.”—Erin McKean, founder of Wordnik and author ofTolSJ