Why does American English matter?

From the creator

How did American English become different from the English spoken in Britain? Why do Americans have so many different accents and dialects? In this episode of “In Pursuit of Happiness”, Judy Woodruff explores the fascinating history of American English with linguists Anne Curzan and Valerie Fridland. As the United States marks 250 years since its founding, they look at how Americans have reshaped the English language by changing pronunciations, creating new words, and evolving dialects. From Native American influences and immigrant communities to African American speech traditions, Judy and her guests discuss how the way we speak reflects America’s history, diversity, and identity and why language continues to change with every generation. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newshour/

Published 2026-08-06 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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