Many people think English should be the official language of the United States. President Trump is trying to make it so, through an executive order.
But even if everyone spoke English that doesn’t mean we all sound alike. A native of Pittsburgh is going to sound different than a native of New Orleans, or Boston or Omaha.
It may seem like the regional differences in our language have become blurred over the decades, due to the influence of television and the media.
But experts say that’s not necessarily true.
And here’s where former PBS TV anchorman Robert MacNeil comes in. Back in 1986 MacNeil was co-author of a book, and companion TV series, called The Story of English.
And in 2005 he took it a step further, with a new book called Do You Speak American? That book was a detailed exploration of how regional dialects and accents continue to flourish.
I had gotten to know Robert MacNeil over the years, always looking up to him as a fellow broadcaster. We met one day in January of 2005 to talk about his new book.
So here now, from 2005, Robert MacNeil.
Robert MacNeil died in 2024. He was 93.
