Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse , and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide

A beautiful gift book that is sure to get people talking about what people are saying. In December 2013, statistic Ph.D. candidate, Josh Katz released an interactive dialect quiz in the New York Times that became the most viewed page in New York Times history. Now as the graphics editor at the Times, Katz has harnessed the overwhelming responses to that quiz to create Speaking American, an extraordinary and beautiful visual tour through the American vernacular. "How do you pronounce "pecan'?"... "What do you call a long sandwich with varieties of meats and cheeses?"... "When you say "The City', to where are you referring?" ..."Do you cut the grass or mow the lawn?" These questions and the distinctions they reveal about who says what, and where they say it - are not just the ultimate in conversation, cocktail party, or bar fodder; they are also windows into the history of our nation, our regions, and our language. For fans of Eats, Shoots And Leaves or How The States Got Their Shapes, Speaking American will be an irresistible book for the language or Americana-lover. On page after page, readers will be fascinated and charmed by the stunning maps of who says what and where. They will also gain new insights into our language and our heritage.