1
00:00:00,827 --> 00:00:02,055
MlCHAEL: Whassup, dawg?

2
00:00:02,162 --> 00:00:03,652
WlNNlE HOLMAN: There's almost
nothing more personal

3
00:00:03,763 --> 00:00:05,128
than how you express yourself.

4
00:00:05,231 --> 00:00:08,530
ANNOUNCER: And in California,
everyone has something to say.

5
00:00:08,635 --> 00:00:10,296
GEORGE PLOMARlTY:
That peak just jacked up.

6
00:00:10,403 --> 00:00:11,597
CARMEN FOUGHT:
What you mean, foo'?

7
00:00:11,704 --> 00:00:12,830
GlRL: Tiiiiight.

8
00:00:12,939 --> 00:00:14,236
JAYK GOFF: You're gonna,
like, give them props

9
00:00:14,340 --> 00:00:15,773
and it's gonna be
something sick.

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00:00:15,875 --> 00:00:17,638
ANNOUNCER: ln this
last part of our journey,

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00:00:17,744 --> 00:00:19,405
we'll travel the West Coast

12
00:00:19,512 --> 00:00:23,710
and explore an America
that speaks many languages.

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00:00:23,817 --> 00:00:26,285
DANlEL RUSSELL: ''My grandpop
cook dinner every night.''

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00:00:26,386 --> 00:00:29,321
How do you code switch this into
mainstream American English?

15
00:00:29,422 --> 00:00:33,825
MAlSO: My granpa
cooks dinner every night.

16
00:00:33,927 --> 00:00:37,192
ANNOUNCER: And computers who
only want to be understood...

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00:00:37,297 --> 00:00:38,594
COMPUTER:
Navigation menu...

18
00:00:38,698 --> 00:00:39,960
ROBERT: Navigation address book.

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00:00:40,066 --> 00:00:41,090
COMPUTER:
Navigation menu...

20
00:00:41,201 --> 00:00:42,498
Address book.
Pardon me?

21
00:00:42,602 --> 00:00:43,899
ANNOUNCER: lt's like a...

22
00:00:44,003 --> 00:00:45,402
Ripping...blasting...good time.

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00:00:45,505 --> 00:00:46,938
ANNOUNCER: So ask yourself...

24
00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,031
ROBERT:
Do l speak American?

25
00:00:50,543 --> 00:00:53,068
Man: Do you speak American?

26
00:00:53,179 --> 00:00:55,409
WOMAN:
Do you, like, speak American?

27
00:00:55,515 --> 00:00:57,415
LOBSTERMAN:
Do you speak American?

28
00:00:57,517 --> 00:00:59,451
Both: Do you
speak American, dawg?

29
00:00:59,552 --> 00:01:01,281
COWGlRL: Do you speak American?

30
00:01:01,387 --> 00:01:02,786
WOMAN:
Tu parles Americain?

31
00:01:02,889 --> 00:01:05,585
PATRlClA LOPEZ:
Estás hablando American?

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00:01:09,762 --> 00:01:13,061
''Do You Speak American?''
has been made possible in part

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00:01:13,166 --> 00:01:15,896
by the National Endowment
For The Humanities...

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00:01:16,002 --> 00:01:19,494
promoting excellence
in the Humanities.

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Additional funding
is provided by

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the William and Flora
Hewlett Foundation...

37
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The Ford Foundation...

38
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Rosalind P. Walter and the
Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.

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ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
ln our previous episode
of ''Do You Speak American?''

40
00:01:43,663 --> 00:01:46,894
we looked at what's happening
to Southern speech.

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The farther south
and west you go,

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the stronger the influence
of Spanish.

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Concerns about Spanish

44
00:01:55,742 --> 00:01:58,108
echo across
the American Southwest--

45
00:01:58,211 --> 00:02:01,078
New Mexico, Arizona,
Southern California...

46
00:02:01,181 --> 00:02:03,172
where we're going to
continue this journey

47
00:02:03,283 --> 00:02:06,446
through American language.
The first stop is L.A.

48
00:02:06,553 --> 00:02:10,182
lt's a bit far to drive,
so we're going to fly.

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00:02:15,995 --> 00:02:17,462
Robert MacNeil (VO):
Spanish is just one

50
00:02:17,564 --> 00:02:19,429
of the language influences
we'll look at

51
00:02:19,532 --> 00:02:22,763
as we follow the West Coast
from L.A. to Seattle

52
00:02:22,869 --> 00:02:26,134
and ask: Do you speak American?

53
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CONTROL BOOTH: Six, five,
four, three, two, one...

54
00:02:58,171 --> 00:03:00,230
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
lt's called ''Mex To The Max''

55
00:03:00,340 --> 00:03:02,831
and it's hosted
by Patricia Lopez.

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LOPEZ: ...l hope you guys
are sitting down

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00:03:04,844 --> 00:03:07,677
'cause we have a fun-filled hour
for you guys.

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ROBERT MACNElL (VO): Patricia,
known as ''Patty Longlegs,''

59
00:03:26,332 --> 00:03:29,096
is a former fashion model
who's now a VJ,

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00:03:29,202 --> 00:03:30,533
that's Video Jockey,

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00:03:30,637 --> 00:03:35,074
introducing Latino music
and Salsa videos on local TV.

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LOPEZ:
My language is Spanglish.

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00:03:38,945 --> 00:03:42,005
lt's great because it's
half English, half Spanish.

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00:03:42,115 --> 00:03:43,707
And you know
what time it is, baby,

65
00:03:43,816 --> 00:03:46,148
it's time for the emails, yes...
alright, let's get started

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00:03:46,252 --> 00:03:48,243
with the first email
here on this segment.

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lt says....

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00:03:57,697 --> 00:04:00,325
...''Love you always,''
that came from Angel.

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00:04:00,433 --> 00:04:01,764
We have all these Latin people

70
00:04:01,868 --> 00:04:03,267
that are
coming over to the States,

71
00:04:03,369 --> 00:04:04,927
and l mean we're everywhere.

72
00:04:05,038 --> 00:04:07,529
And we might not feel
comfortable speaking English.

73
00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:08,937
They should catch on to it.

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00:04:09,042 --> 00:04:11,272
And we're, you know, we're
putting it out there for them.

75
00:04:11,377 --> 00:04:12,810
ROBERT:
Why should they catch on to it?

76
00:04:12,912 --> 00:04:14,004
LOPEZ: Because it's,

77
00:04:14,113 --> 00:04:15,637
it's gonna be the
second language of the States.

78
00:04:15,748 --> 00:04:17,648
Everyone speaks English,
so they say,

79
00:04:17,750 --> 00:04:19,308
but you have a lot of Latinos
that are coming over

80
00:04:19,419 --> 00:04:21,182
that don't speak it.

81
00:04:21,287 --> 00:04:23,312
My father is 72 years old,
and doesn't speak it

82
00:04:23,423 --> 00:04:25,550
because, you know,
you can get by

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00:04:25,658 --> 00:04:28,593
not speaking it
here in the States.

84
00:04:28,695 --> 00:04:30,788
ROBERT:
That's terrific, thank you.

85
00:04:30,897 --> 00:04:34,628
LOPEZ: Thank you,
thank you. Beso...

86
00:04:34,734 --> 00:04:35,928
Oh no, l made him blush

87
00:04:36,035 --> 00:04:37,900
ROBERT: Ah well,
l blush easily.

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00:04:38,004 --> 00:04:40,097
LOPEZ: ...Right now, we're
gonna go to Los Tucanes

89
00:04:40,206 --> 00:04:42,504
cantando con su tema,
''La Chica Sexy.''

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00:05:16,876 --> 00:05:20,107
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Spanglish isn't the only
Spanish-English hybrid.

91
00:05:20,213 --> 00:05:23,740
Carmen Fought is a linguist
who's been studying Chicano,

92
00:05:23,850 --> 00:05:27,183
one of the street-talks
of Latino Los Angeles.

93
00:05:28,721 --> 00:05:31,019
FOUGHT: Chicano English
is a dialect of English

94
00:05:31,124 --> 00:05:33,456
that grew out
of the historical contact

95
00:05:33,559 --> 00:05:37,495
between English and Spanish
in the Southwest.

96
00:05:40,967 --> 00:05:43,492
You get articles
written that say

97
00:05:43,603 --> 00:05:44,763
Chicano English is just a step

98
00:05:44,871 --> 00:05:46,361
on the way
to mastery of English,

99
00:05:46,472 --> 00:05:48,599
and that's not true at all.

100
00:05:50,343 --> 00:05:53,801
Chicano English is now its own
vibrant, thriving dialect.

101
00:05:53,913 --> 00:05:55,471
lt's not going anywhere...

102
00:05:55,581 --> 00:05:58,482
luckily, for me, because l do
research on Chicano English.

103
00:06:02,054 --> 00:06:03,851
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Carmen did much of her research

104
00:06:03,956 --> 00:06:06,823
with high school kids
with Spanish-speaking parents.

105
00:06:06,926 --> 00:06:11,056
She took us to a nearby park
to hear some Chicano English.

106
00:06:14,434 --> 00:06:16,732
Wanting the kids
to be as relaxed as possible,

107
00:06:16,836 --> 00:06:19,396
we've put radio mics
on two of them,

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00:06:19,505 --> 00:06:22,963
and then we, and the camera,
are keeping well back.

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00:06:23,075 --> 00:06:24,838
MlCHAEL: So wassup, dawg?

110
00:06:24,944 --> 00:06:26,878
What's cracking, dawg?
What's crackin' tomorrow?.

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00:06:26,979 --> 00:06:29,004
JESSlE: About the
Superbowl? l dunno...

112
00:06:29,115 --> 00:06:31,675
Wassup, then?
We gonna throw a party? Wassup?

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00:06:31,784 --> 00:06:34,048
JESSlE: What girls
you gonna have over there?

114
00:06:34,153 --> 00:06:36,621
MlCHAEL:
Man, all l know, is that

115
00:06:36,722 --> 00:06:38,713
there's gonna be a bunch
of primas there.

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00:06:38,825 --> 00:06:42,659
What about the, what about
the party you took Mark to...

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00:06:42,762 --> 00:06:43,592
What, Southgate?

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00:06:43,696 --> 00:06:44,685
Yeah, Southgate.

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00:06:44,797 --> 00:06:45,855
That's his family, fool.

120
00:06:45,965 --> 00:06:47,057
Nah, you serious?

121
00:06:47,166 --> 00:06:48,633
There's a bunch
of hotness over there, dawg.

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00:06:48,734 --> 00:06:51,464
Fine women,
ones that can [SPANlSH].

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00:06:51,571 --> 00:06:53,664
That's how fine they were, dawg.

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FOUGHT:
ln terms of slang items,

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00:06:55,007 --> 00:06:57,032
when he asked him
who's gonna be at the party--

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00:06:57,143 --> 00:06:59,134
''ls there gonna be
any hotness there''...

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00:06:59,245 --> 00:07:00,075
ROBERT: Hotness?

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00:07:00,179 --> 00:07:01,203
FOUGHT: Uh huh, meaning

129
00:07:01,314 --> 00:07:03,009
are there gonna be any
good looking girls there.

130
00:07:03,115 --> 00:07:04,639
JESSlE: l'm tired of
talking to you though.

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00:07:04,750 --> 00:07:06,809
MlCHAEL: l'm tired
of talking to you, foo'

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00:07:06,919 --> 00:07:08,352
lt's been awhile though.

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00:07:08,454 --> 00:07:11,014
FOUGHT: Also the pitch,
the intonation,

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00:07:11,123 --> 00:07:12,784
they'll hear some of
the syllables drawn out:

135
00:07:12,892 --> 00:07:15,383
''Whaaat?''
''What you mean, fooo?''

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like that,
those sorts of things.

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That's also very characteristic
of Chicano English.

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00:07:20,132 --> 00:07:21,656
JESSlE:
What about these foos?

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00:07:21,767 --> 00:07:23,530
Think they're
gonna grow up

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00:07:23,636 --> 00:07:25,365
to be some real football players
or what?

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00:07:25,471 --> 00:07:28,634
MlCHAEL: Man, that little short
fool with the cut-off sleeves,

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00:07:28,741 --> 00:07:30,834
that's my cousin, dawg.
He might probably be something.

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FOUGHT: The use of
''foo,'' for ''fool''

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00:07:35,681 --> 00:07:38,616
as a term like ''man'' or ''guy,''

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00:07:38,718 --> 00:07:41,482
that's very common among kids
that speak Chicano English

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00:07:41,587 --> 00:07:42,781
of this age group.

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ln fact, occasionally
when l was doing field work,

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00:07:46,125 --> 00:07:47,990
and l was interviewing kids
who spoke Chicano English,

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00:07:48,094 --> 00:07:49,686
they would actually
call me ''fool;''

150
00:07:49,795 --> 00:07:51,763
you know, just kind of
slipping it in there

151
00:07:51,864 --> 00:07:54,264
the same way we might use
''man'' or ''guy.''

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00:07:54,367 --> 00:07:55,857
ROBERT: ...or ''bro'' or...
FOUGHT: Yeah, yeah...

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00:07:55,968 --> 00:07:58,698
MlCHAEL: Keisha, dawg.
Keisha over there in Southgate.

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00:07:58,804 --> 00:08:00,294
JESSlE: She's Mexican
with a name like that?

155
00:08:00,406 --> 00:08:01,771
MlCHAEL: Yeah, dawg.

156
00:08:01,874 --> 00:08:02,898
Does she speak
Spanish, too?

157
00:08:03,009 --> 00:08:04,738
Nah, she don't even
speak no Spanish.

158
00:08:04,844 --> 00:08:06,903
ROBERT: And they throw in the
occasional word in Spanish or--

159
00:08:07,013 --> 00:08:09,038
FOUGHT: Yes, and, in fact,
what's interesting

160
00:08:09,148 --> 00:08:11,207
is that many people believe
that Chicano English

161
00:08:11,317 --> 00:08:12,978
is a Spanish accent--

162
00:08:13,085 --> 00:08:14,814
someone whose first language
is Spanish

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00:08:14,921 --> 00:08:17,219
and doesn't
speak English well yet.

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00:08:17,323 --> 00:08:19,951
But, in fact, as we just heard,
we heard Jessie speaking,

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and he doesn't, in fact,
speak Spanish...

166
00:08:21,727 --> 00:08:23,627
only enough
to throw in a few words,

167
00:08:23,729 --> 00:08:27,756
and those words actually tend
to be taboo or swear words.

168
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FOOTBALL PLAYER:
Que? Le Que?

169
00:08:32,238 --> 00:08:33,967
No entiendo...

170
00:08:34,073 --> 00:08:36,598
FOUGHT: And it's still
the classic pattern

171
00:08:36,709 --> 00:08:40,702
that the first generation
born in the United States

172
00:08:40,813 --> 00:08:42,542
often will retain
the home language,

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00:08:42,648 --> 00:08:44,741
but by the
second generation born here,

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00:08:44,850 --> 00:08:47,080
the home language
is very often lost.

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00:08:47,186 --> 00:08:49,814
So l don't think Spanish is
a threat to English in any way.

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00:08:49,922 --> 00:08:52,015
l think, if anything,
it's Spanish that's in danger

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00:08:52,124 --> 00:08:54,752
and that we might want
to look out for.

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ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Like Carmen,

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00:08:59,865 --> 00:09:02,766
other linguists believe Spanish
is no more a threat to English

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00:09:02,868 --> 00:09:07,396
than German or ltalian, which
once provoked similar fears.

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00:09:20,586 --> 00:09:22,486
RADlO ANNOUNCER:
Six minutes before the hour,

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00:09:22,588 --> 00:09:23,782
l am Shirley Strawberry

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00:09:23,889 --> 00:09:25,982
right here on the
Steve Harvey Morning Show.

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00:09:26,092 --> 00:09:29,186
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Morning drive time in L.A...

185
00:09:29,295 --> 00:09:32,287
early in 2003,
Hispanic Americans

186
00:09:32,398 --> 00:09:35,993
passed African Americans
to become the biggest minority.

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00:09:36,102 --> 00:09:40,766
STEVE HARVEY: We are a
''shake yo' booty'' radio station.

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00:09:40,873 --> 00:09:43,603
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
But with young Hispanics
moving into English,

189
00:09:43,709 --> 00:09:46,041
will Spanish
ever have the impact

190
00:09:46,145 --> 00:09:48,045
of African American English?

191
00:09:48,147 --> 00:09:50,638
HARVEY: You won't believe
this one, but guess what?

192
00:09:50,750 --> 00:09:52,012
lt's another Common song.

193
00:09:52,118 --> 00:09:53,517
This is my man...

194
00:09:53,619 --> 00:09:56,019
ROBERT MACNElL (VO): Spread
through rap, hip hop, soul,

195
00:09:56,122 --> 00:09:58,090
and DJs like Steve Harvey,

196
00:09:58,190 --> 00:10:00,818
the Black English influence
on mainstream American

197
00:10:00,926 --> 00:10:02,587
is profound.

198
00:10:05,698 --> 00:10:07,393
ROBERT:
Do you speak American?

199
00:10:07,500 --> 00:10:10,025
HARVEY: l speak
good enough American.

200
00:10:10,136 --> 00:10:12,969
You know, l think there's
variations of speaking American.

201
00:10:13,072 --> 00:10:15,063
l don't think there's
any one set way

202
00:10:15,174 --> 00:10:17,608
because America's so diverse.

203
00:10:17,710 --> 00:10:21,168
So l don't think that there's a
certain way to speak American.

204
00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,306
You know, man, upward America
is not my audience.

205
00:10:24,417 --> 00:10:26,715
My audience is mostly
grassroots people.

206
00:10:26,819 --> 00:10:29,287
And l sound
mostly like they uncle--

207
00:10:29,388 --> 00:10:32,186
so see, l said, l sound
mostly like ''they'' uncle,

208
00:10:32,291 --> 00:10:36,921
and l was cool with that.
That sound good to me.

209
00:10:37,029 --> 00:10:40,157
''lsn't''...you know, ''isn't''
is not in my vocabulary.

210
00:10:40,266 --> 00:10:42,063
The word is ''ain't.''

211
00:10:42,168 --> 00:10:45,535
''lsn't'' requires my mouth
to stretch in a way

212
00:10:45,638 --> 00:10:47,833
that it don't stretch...''isn't.''

213
00:10:47,940 --> 00:10:49,737
And then
l leave it out there too long,

214
00:10:49,842 --> 00:10:54,905
l look really stupid when--
''He isn't telling the truth.''

215
00:10:55,014 --> 00:10:58,142
l actually almost black out
when l say that.

216
00:10:58,250 --> 00:10:59,808
ROBERT: But what do you say
to those people,

217
00:10:59,919 --> 00:11:03,218
like some of the people
in the school system in L.A.,

218
00:11:03,322 --> 00:11:07,156
who say that
African American kids

219
00:11:07,259 --> 00:11:12,663
need to learn standard English
in order to get on in the world?

220
00:11:12,765 --> 00:11:13,789
HARVEY: Well, you know,

221
00:11:13,899 --> 00:11:16,299
you do have to be
bilingual in this country.

222
00:11:16,402 --> 00:11:19,496
And that means you can be
very, very adept at slang,

223
00:11:19,605 --> 00:11:23,336
but you have to be adept at
getting through a job interview.

224
00:11:26,912 --> 00:11:29,813
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
The L.A. school system
knows its minority students

225
00:11:29,915 --> 00:11:32,509
will need to be,
in effect, bilingual.

226
00:11:32,618 --> 00:11:35,348
P.S. 1 00 in Watts
is one of 60 schools

227
00:11:35,454 --> 00:11:39,948
using an experimental program
called Academic English Mastery.

228
00:11:41,927 --> 00:11:43,690
RUSSELL: l need
all groups to pay attention.

229
00:11:43,796 --> 00:11:47,926
Cloyd, l need your focus now...
and Gerardo.

230
00:11:48,033 --> 00:11:50,399
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Daniel Russell
uses a game of jeopardy

231
00:11:50,503 --> 00:11:52,300
to teach his grade five class

232
00:11:52,404 --> 00:11:54,531
how to translate
their ''home language,''

233
00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:56,699
into mainstream American.

234
00:11:56,809 --> 00:12:00,768
RUSSELL: Okay, here we go:

235
00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:03,371
''My grandpa cook dinner
every night.''

236
00:12:03,482 --> 00:12:04,972
STUDENTS:
Third person is singular...

237
00:12:05,084 --> 00:12:07,575
''Cooks''...''my granpa cooks
dinner every night.''

238
00:12:07,686 --> 00:12:10,655
RUSSELL:
Which linguistic feature is not
mainstream American English?

239
00:12:10,756 --> 00:12:12,724
MAlSO:
Third person singular.

240
00:12:12,825 --> 00:12:18,593
RUSSELL: Yes, and Maiso,
how do you code switch this

241
00:12:18,697 --> 00:12:20,130
into mainstream
American English?

242
00:12:20,232 --> 00:12:23,895
MAlSO: ''My grandpa
cooks dinner every night.''

243
00:12:24,003 --> 00:12:26,437
RUSSELL:
You just got 500 more points.

244
00:12:28,908 --> 00:12:30,899
''He funny.''

245
00:12:34,013 --> 00:12:36,573
Okay, Ariel Barone,
what's the answer?

246
00:12:36,682 --> 00:12:37,910
ARlEL: ''He is funny.''

247
00:12:38,017 --> 00:12:41,783
RUSSELL: ''He is funny''...
excellent translation

248
00:12:41,887 --> 00:12:43,912
Here we go...

249
00:12:46,325 --> 00:12:51,262
''We don't have nothin' to do.''

250
00:12:51,363 --> 00:12:52,762
Okay, quiet please.

251
00:12:52,865 --> 00:12:58,098
STUDENT:
''We don't have nothing to do.''

252
00:12:58,204 --> 00:13:03,267
RUSSELL: Oh, l'm sorry.
that is not accurate translation

253
00:13:03,375 --> 00:13:05,172
into mainstream
American English,

254
00:13:05,277 --> 00:13:09,976
so you're at minus 400.

255
00:13:10,082 --> 00:13:12,516
So let me roll
and see which team

256
00:13:12,618 --> 00:13:14,745
will have an opportunity
to get it.

257
00:13:14,854 --> 00:13:17,618
l might roll you guys again.

258
00:13:17,723 --> 00:13:20,556
One

259
00:13:20,659 --> 00:13:23,685
STUDENTS:
''Anything, anything, anything.''

260
00:13:23,796 --> 00:13:26,287
STUDENT:
''We don't have anything to do.''

261
00:13:26,398 --> 00:13:27,865
RUSSELL:
Excellent translation

262
00:13:28,367 --> 00:13:30,062
NOMA LEMOlNE: l think perhaps
the biggest misunderstanding

263
00:13:30,169 --> 00:13:32,535
is the idea that we are somehow

264
00:13:32,638 --> 00:13:34,572
teaching
African American language--

265
00:13:34,673 --> 00:13:36,573
teaching ''ebonics''--
if you will.

266
00:13:36,675 --> 00:13:38,233
We don't need to teach
African American language.

267
00:13:38,344 --> 00:13:39,402
ROBERT: ...They
come speaking it.

268
00:13:39,511 --> 00:13:40,671
LEMOlNE:
They already know it.

269
00:13:40,779 --> 00:13:43,270
Our task is to help move them

270
00:13:43,382 --> 00:13:45,247
towards mastery of
the language of school

271
00:13:45,351 --> 00:13:48,582
in its oral and written form,
but to do that in a way

272
00:13:48,687 --> 00:13:50,587
where they are not devalued,

273
00:13:50,689 --> 00:13:54,090
or where they feel denigrated
in any way

274
00:13:54,193 --> 00:13:57,685
by virtue of their cultural
and linguistic differences.

275
00:13:57,796 --> 00:14:00,094
Because when you begin
to devalue youngsters,

276
00:14:00,199 --> 00:14:03,293
and make them feel that
who they are doesn't count,

277
00:14:03,402 --> 00:14:06,269
then we've turned them
off from education.

278
00:14:06,472 --> 00:14:11,774
RUSSELL:
''Last night we bake cookies.''

279
00:14:11,877 --> 00:14:14,539
STUDENTS: No, no,
it's past tense, past tense.

280
00:14:14,647 --> 00:14:16,080
RUSSELL: Are you ready?

281
00:14:16,181 --> 00:14:17,808
Number one, what language
is it in?

282
00:14:17,917 --> 00:14:18,941
STUDENT: AAL.

283
00:14:19,051 --> 00:14:20,985
RUSSELL: lt is in
African American language.

284
00:14:21,086 --> 00:14:25,489
Number two, what linguistic
feature is in AAL?

285
00:14:25,591 --> 00:14:27,559
STUDENT:
Past tense marker, ''e-d.''

286
00:14:27,660 --> 00:14:29,423
RUSSELL: Past tense marker,
''e-d,'' that's two.

287
00:14:29,528 --> 00:14:33,157
And how do you code switch it
to mainstream American English?

288
00:14:33,265 --> 00:14:35,563
STUDENT:
''Last night we baked cookies.''

289
00:14:35,668 --> 00:14:37,465
RUSSELL:
You got 500 more points.

290
00:14:37,569 --> 00:14:39,469
STUDENTS: Yes

291
00:14:39,571 --> 00:14:41,004
RUSSELL: ls it too easy,

292
00:14:41,106 --> 00:14:43,370
or l just taught you well
this year?

293
00:14:46,578 --> 00:14:47,875
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Students in the program

294
00:14:47,980 --> 00:14:50,574
show significant gains
in written English.

295
00:14:50,683 --> 00:14:52,048
Those behind it believe that

296
00:14:52,151 --> 00:14:55,678
unless more teachers treat home
language as sympathetically,

297
00:14:55,788 --> 00:14:59,224
they'll condemn more generations
to school failure.

298
00:14:59,325 --> 00:15:01,520
Language remains
a formidable frontier

299
00:15:01,627 --> 00:15:03,822
in the legacy of slavery.

300
00:15:20,746 --> 00:15:22,737
ROBERT:
Three helicopters overhead,

301
00:15:22,848 --> 00:15:25,749
and there's a police roadblock
up here.

302
00:15:25,851 --> 00:15:29,412
ln any other big city,
you'd think it was a crime scene

303
00:15:29,521 --> 00:15:32,285
or an act of terrorism
or a bomb scare or something,

304
00:15:32,391 --> 00:15:35,758
but this is Los Angeles, the
beginning of Beverly Hills here.

305
00:15:35,861 --> 00:15:38,193
And this is a big night
for the movie industry,

306
00:15:38,297 --> 00:15:41,630
the Golden Globe Awards.

307
00:15:41,734 --> 00:15:43,497
TV: Nicole Kidman...

308
00:15:43,602 --> 00:15:46,230
ROBERT MACNElL (VO): Movies,
TV, and the music industry

309
00:15:46,338 --> 00:15:48,272
help to spread new language.

310
00:15:48,374 --> 00:15:50,433
KlDMAN: And the nominees
for Best Actor:

311
00:15:50,542 --> 00:15:52,703
ROBERT MACNElL (VO): And because
the stars live in Hollywood,

312
00:15:52,811 --> 00:15:54,403
and Hollywood's in California,

313
00:15:54,513 --> 00:15:57,209
California English
gets an extra boost.

314
00:16:00,319 --> 00:16:02,219
The next morning,
l'm in Beverly Hills

315
00:16:02,321 --> 00:16:05,757
to meet the movie writer
and director Amy Heckerling.

316
00:16:07,793 --> 00:16:09,920
Though she herself
comes from the Bronx,

317
00:16:10,029 --> 00:16:13,760
she puts a lot of California
slang into her scripts.

318
00:16:13,866 --> 00:16:15,800
Amy even compiled
her own dictionary

319
00:16:15,901 --> 00:16:19,359
for her most famous movie and
the TV series that followed it--

320
00:16:19,471 --> 00:16:20,802
''Clueless.''

321
00:16:20,906 --> 00:16:22,737
ROBERT: We noticed, looking
over your shoulder a minute ago,

322
00:16:22,841 --> 00:16:26,607
that you had a page
for expressions for ''good,''

323
00:16:26,712 --> 00:16:28,270
something that's good,
and some for bad.

324
00:16:28,380 --> 00:16:31,713
Would you read us some
from each of those pages?

325
00:16:31,817 --> 00:16:35,776
HECKERLlNG: Swiss, flava,
butta, coolio, smooth,

326
00:16:35,888 --> 00:16:40,655
super, money, nails--
''tits,'' as in ''it's the tits''--

327
00:16:40,759 --> 00:16:44,251
feeion--like ''fine'' broken up
into a bunch of syllables--

328
00:16:44,363 --> 00:16:46,763
kickin', juice,
keen, funky, monster,

329
00:16:46,865 --> 00:16:49,698
proper, rad, noble, wicked,
tubular, trippy, stoked...

330
00:16:49,802 --> 00:16:53,795
rules, rocks, stellar,
tasty, sweet.

331
00:16:53,906 --> 00:16:58,172
ROBERT: How about ''bad,''
page for ''bad?''...

332
00:16:58,277 --> 00:17:01,075
HECKERLlNG:
This could go on forever.

333
00:17:01,180 --> 00:17:05,276
Random, heinous,
cheesy, blows, bites, bogus,

334
00:17:05,384 --> 00:17:08,717
bunk, brick, bum, bum deal,
bunk, busted, bug,

335
00:17:08,821 --> 00:17:11,221
chicken --, dreaded, drip,
wretched, clueless--

336
00:17:11,323 --> 00:17:13,484
''sucks,'' the classic.

337
00:17:13,592 --> 00:17:17,153
And whenever young actors
came in,

338
00:17:17,262 --> 00:17:18,320
l would always say,

339
00:17:18,430 --> 00:17:20,364
''What do you say for 'good?'''
''for 'bad?'''

340
00:17:26,071 --> 00:17:28,938
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Amy's movie ''Clueless''
achieved iconic status

341
00:17:29,041 --> 00:17:32,909
and introduced California teen
slang to the rest of America.

342
00:17:33,011 --> 00:17:38,176
ALlClA SlLVERSTONE:
Eew...get off of me Uh, as if

343
00:17:38,283 --> 00:17:39,648
BO Y: Nice stems.

344
00:17:39,751 --> 00:17:41,048
Thanks.

345
00:17:41,153 --> 00:17:42,711
Whatever.

346
00:17:45,290 --> 00:17:47,952
SlLVERSTONE: Did l miss
something? ls big hair back?

347
00:17:50,863 --> 00:17:52,626
This is ragin'

348
00:17:52,731 --> 00:17:55,461
Let's do a lap before
we commit to a location.

349
00:18:04,743 --> 00:18:06,734
Heello.

350
00:18:08,747 --> 00:18:10,237
Survey says...

351
00:18:10,349 --> 00:18:11,873
l thought it reeked.

352
00:18:11,984 --> 00:18:15,476
SlLVERSTONE: l thought that was
your designer imposter perfume.

353
00:18:17,489 --> 00:18:21,755
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
''Clueless'' satirizes
California mores and teen talk.

354
00:18:21,860 --> 00:18:23,987
Winnie Holzman
aimed for naturalism

355
00:18:24,096 --> 00:18:26,963
in the cult TV series
''My So-called Life,''

356
00:18:27,065 --> 00:18:29,966
in which she chronicled
teenage angst.

357
00:18:30,068 --> 00:18:33,595
She often writes
in this coffee shop.

358
00:18:33,705 --> 00:18:38,108
HOLZMAN: A lot of the waitresses
would be around 1 7, 1 8,

359
00:18:38,210 --> 00:18:40,701
and l would hear them
discussing certain things

360
00:18:40,812 --> 00:18:42,780
that l just would
write right down.

361
00:18:42,881 --> 00:18:45,941
l'd like a Diet Pepsi.

362
00:18:46,051 --> 00:18:49,145
ROBERT: l'll have an
lced Tea, please. Thank you.

363
00:18:49,254 --> 00:18:50,482
You said you were trying

364
00:18:50,589 --> 00:18:52,454
to put yourself inside
the head of teenagers,

365
00:18:52,558 --> 00:18:54,082
one of which you used to be.

366
00:18:54,193 --> 00:18:55,626
HOLZMAN: Well,
l think it just, you know,

367
00:18:55,727 --> 00:18:58,161
it's like l said,
it's a biological time.

368
00:18:58,263 --> 00:19:01,960
l mean, biologically, you're--
everything in you

369
00:19:02,067 --> 00:19:07,004
is telling you to move on,
to move away, to grow up

370
00:19:07,105 --> 00:19:09,835
and to leave behind
the things of childhood.

371
00:19:09,942 --> 00:19:11,807
ROBERT: Tell us your thoughts

372
00:19:11,910 --> 00:19:16,574
about why they create
their own language, teenagers?

373
00:19:16,682 --> 00:19:21,312
HOLZMAN: l think it's perfectly
natural at that point, you know.

374
00:19:21,420 --> 00:19:24,446
Your peer group becomes
incredibly important to you,

375
00:19:24,556 --> 00:19:27,650
your little tribe of friends
becomes your new family,

376
00:19:27,759 --> 00:19:31,889
and you need to have--
everything symbolizes that...

377
00:19:31,997 --> 00:19:34,090
everything--
the clothes you wear,

378
00:19:34,199 --> 00:19:37,464
the way you speak
and, l think, people...

379
00:19:37,569 --> 00:19:41,903
l mean, language is--

380
00:19:42,007 --> 00:19:45,272
there's almost nothing
more personal

381
00:19:45,377 --> 00:19:46,935
than how you express yourself.

382
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:03,928
TEENAGER: Can l have
a slice of cheese pizza

383
00:20:04,029 --> 00:20:06,259
and a small soda, please?

384
00:20:06,365 --> 00:20:07,889
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
l'm curious to find out

385
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,868
how California teenage slang has
moved on since the early '90s

386
00:20:11,970 --> 00:20:13,801
when ''Clueless''
and ''My So-called Life''

387
00:20:13,905 --> 00:20:15,532
were first released.

388
00:20:15,641 --> 00:20:17,939
So l'm in lrvine, south of L.A.,

389
00:20:18,043 --> 00:20:20,307
to meet a bunch of teens
from the local high school,

390
00:20:20,412 --> 00:20:24,610
whom l can call, as we all
seem to these days, ''you guys.''

391
00:20:24,716 --> 00:20:28,174
ROBERT: Do you guys still say
''so, not, whatever?''

392
00:20:28,287 --> 00:20:29,185
TEENAGERS: Yes.

393
00:20:29,288 --> 00:20:30,255
CATHERlNE: Yeah, ''Clueless''

394
00:20:30,355 --> 00:20:32,289
'cause, like, now
l'm, like, permanently

395
00:20:32,391 --> 00:20:33,881
like, like, messed up because--

396
00:20:33,992 --> 00:20:35,584
...'cause, like,
l say, like, ''like'' and ''dude''

397
00:20:35,694 --> 00:20:37,685
every other word
because of that movie.

398
00:20:37,796 --> 00:20:39,093
lt's horrible.

399
00:20:39,197 --> 00:20:41,791
ROBERT: You can't get ''Clueless''
out of your system?

400
00:20:41,900 --> 00:20:43,993
TEENAGER: l saw it once.

401
00:20:44,102 --> 00:20:46,502
TEENAGER: lt became kind of
a cultural trend sort of,

402
00:20:46,605 --> 00:20:48,402
so, like, a lot of kids
started saying it

403
00:20:48,507 --> 00:20:50,805
and then people would do
the, do the ''whatevers.''

404
00:20:50,909 --> 00:20:52,672
TEENAGER: ''Whatever, moron,
get the picture.''

405
00:20:52,778 --> 00:20:55,508
''You're a total loser.''

406
00:20:55,614 --> 00:20:59,573
ROBERT: Hey, could
l ask you some expressions

407
00:20:59,685 --> 00:21:03,143
and ask you what they mean?
Uh, ''tight.''

408
00:21:03,255 --> 00:21:05,223
TEENAGER: Tiiiight.

409
00:21:05,324 --> 00:21:06,552
ROBERT:
How do you say it?

410
00:21:06,658 --> 00:21:08,592
Tiiight.

411
00:21:08,694 --> 00:21:10,685
ROBERT:
ls it about appearance?

412
00:21:10,796 --> 00:21:12,593
CATHERlNE: Well, if you got
a new car, and it's really nice,

413
00:21:12,698 --> 00:21:15,064
you say, ''My new car is tight,''
you know?.

414
00:21:15,167 --> 00:21:16,566
ROBERT: ''Uber.''

415
00:21:16,668 --> 00:21:18,329
TEENAGER: You can be
an uber-nerd,

416
00:21:18,437 --> 00:21:20,905
it's like,
it's like super nerd...

417
00:21:21,006 --> 00:21:23,065
or, uber-anything.

418
00:21:23,175 --> 00:21:24,369
ROBERT: ''F-O-B.''

419
00:21:24,476 --> 00:21:27,001
TEENAGER: Asians who came
to America not too recently.

420
00:21:27,112 --> 00:21:29,603
Like, when you speak
and you still have an accent,

421
00:21:29,715 --> 00:21:32,809
and, like, your English
is still kind of fobby.

422
00:21:32,918 --> 00:21:36,115
ROBERT: ''Fobby?''
''Word.''

423
00:21:36,221 --> 00:21:38,883
TEENAGER: Like ''l agree.''
Word.

424
00:21:38,990 --> 00:21:40,287
ROBERT:
How do you say it?

425
00:21:40,392 --> 00:21:42,587
TEENAGER: That test
was so hard. Word.

426
00:21:42,694 --> 00:21:44,093
ROBERT: Meaning?

427
00:21:44,196 --> 00:21:45,254
TEENAGER: l agree.

428
00:21:45,364 --> 00:21:47,559
ROBERT: Oh, the other person
says ''word.''

429
00:21:47,666 --> 00:21:50,760
Oh, l see.
''That test was so hard.'' Word.

430
00:21:50,869 --> 00:21:52,063
''What's up?''

431
00:21:52,170 --> 00:21:54,365
TEENAGER: Wassup, girl?

432
00:21:54,473 --> 00:21:55,906
CATHERlNE: A lot of, like,
those kinds of things

433
00:21:56,007 --> 00:21:57,634
come from, like, the rap
and the rap music

434
00:21:57,743 --> 00:22:00,405
'cause you hear them say,
''Oh, my peeps,'' and ''y'all, yo.''

435
00:22:00,512 --> 00:22:01,638
TEENAGER: Guys always, like,
they're walking

436
00:22:01,747 --> 00:22:03,339
and they see another guy
and they're like, ''Hey, 'sup.''

437
00:22:03,448 --> 00:22:04,972
CATHERlNE: The middle seat
in the back seat,

438
00:22:05,083 --> 00:22:06,482
like, it's the bitch seat, like,
you're sort of like the bitch,

439
00:22:06,585 --> 00:22:08,212
like, you know, like,
''You're my bitch.''

440
00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:09,810
You know, sort of like that.

441
00:22:09,921 --> 00:22:11,821
But we use ''bitch'' like,
''Dude, you're my bitch''...

442
00:22:11,923 --> 00:22:13,356
or ''so-and-so's
gonna be my bitch''

443
00:22:13,458 --> 00:22:15,756
''for, like, Homecoming
or whatever,'' you know?.

444
00:22:15,861 --> 00:22:19,160
ROBERT:
''l made that test my bitch.''

445
00:22:19,264 --> 00:22:21,494
TEENAGER: You nailed that test,
and, like, you aced it,

446
00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:23,761
or yeah, you did
really well on it.

447
00:22:26,104 --> 00:22:28,004
FOUGHT: Many people
across the country

448
00:22:28,106 --> 00:22:29,596
are familiar
with the California dialect

449
00:22:29,708 --> 00:22:31,266
from movies like ''Clueless.''

450
00:22:31,376 --> 00:22:34,539
lt includes some shifts
in the sound system.

451
00:22:34,646 --> 00:22:38,241
So, for example,
one of the things l've studied

452
00:22:38,350 --> 00:22:39,544
is ''oo'' fronting--

453
00:22:39,651 --> 00:22:42,347
words that have ''oo'' in them
in California English

454
00:22:42,454 --> 00:22:44,752
are often pronounced very close
to the front of the mouth.

455
00:22:44,856 --> 00:22:48,087
So the word ''do'' might be
pronounced more like ''do''...

456
00:22:48,193 --> 00:22:49,285
l do.
''Do.''

457
00:22:49,394 --> 00:22:51,954
FOUGHT: Oh, very good.
That's it...''l do.''

458
00:22:52,063 --> 00:22:54,725
And also words with ''o''...
go, ''go.''

459
00:22:54,833 --> 00:22:55,993
ROBERT: Go.

460
00:22:56,101 --> 00:22:58,569
FOUGHT: ''l'm going to go.''
Yeah, that's also common.

461
00:22:58,670 --> 00:22:59,932
ROBERT: Put those together
in some sentences

462
00:23:00,038 --> 00:23:01,164
that sound like Californian.

463
00:23:01,273 --> 00:23:03,264
FOUGHT: You're gonna go?
Oh my God?

464
00:23:03,375 --> 00:23:06,344
You like him, you really do?

465
00:23:06,445 --> 00:23:10,814
l'm totally surprised.
l do, too, though.

466
00:23:10,916 --> 00:23:14,682
ROBERT: And is that growing
or is that just a passing thing

467
00:23:14,786 --> 00:23:16,651
that we recognized
as Valley Girl

468
00:23:16,755 --> 00:23:19,588
or whatever it was called
20 years ago?

469
00:23:19,691 --> 00:23:20,851
FOUGHT: Oh no.

470
00:23:20,959 --> 00:23:23,291
l can hear these features
in radio announcers now...

471
00:23:23,395 --> 00:23:26,125
my age or older, on TV.

472
00:23:26,231 --> 00:23:30,167
lt's definitely--the California
dialect is here to stay.

473
00:23:30,268 --> 00:23:31,826
lt's not just a passing fad.

474
00:23:31,937 --> 00:23:34,235
ROBERT: What are some of your
favorite examples of that?

475
00:23:34,339 --> 00:23:35,567
FOUGHT: Of California things?

476
00:23:35,674 --> 00:23:38,438
l like ''l'm all.''
l think that's a very good one.

477
00:23:38,543 --> 00:23:40,511
To be ''all something''
as a quotative,

478
00:23:40,612 --> 00:23:42,170
introducing quoted speech...

479
00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:45,374
so l'm all, ''l don't think
l'm gonna go,''

480
00:23:45,484 --> 00:23:47,145
and he's all,
''l think you should.''

481
00:23:47,252 --> 00:23:49,311
And l'm all, ''Why?''
and he's all,

482
00:23:49,421 --> 00:23:51,981
'''Cause it'll be fun.''
And l'm all, ''l don't think so.''

483
00:23:52,090 --> 00:23:53,489
et cetera.

484
00:23:53,592 --> 00:23:55,287
ROBERT: lt suddenly occurred to
me, do men speak Valley Girl?

485
00:23:55,393 --> 00:23:57,554
FOUGHT: Ah,
that's such a good question

486
00:23:57,662 --> 00:23:59,459
and it's one
l wanted to explore.

487
00:23:59,564 --> 00:24:01,657
Men speak surfer dude.

488
00:24:01,766 --> 00:24:02,698
ROBERT: Surfer dude?

489
00:24:03,068 --> 00:24:04,399
Yes.

490
00:24:08,473 --> 00:24:10,498
PLOMARlTY:
Dude, that was gnarly.

491
00:24:12,210 --> 00:24:14,610
That peak
just jacked up so quick.

492
00:24:14,713 --> 00:24:16,044
There was no way, man.

493
00:24:16,147 --> 00:24:18,707
l got thrown with that lip,
couldn't even get to my feet.

494
00:24:18,817 --> 00:24:20,876
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Surfer dudes and surfing slang

495
00:24:20,986 --> 00:24:24,012
have had a seminal effect
on California speech.

496
00:24:24,122 --> 00:24:26,556
PLOMARlTY: Dude, l sunk my
inside rail on that turn, man.

497
00:24:26,658 --> 00:24:28,387
Man, that was lame.

498
00:24:30,829 --> 00:24:32,228
ROBERT: So much new language

499
00:24:32,330 --> 00:24:34,491
is generated by
the California culture

500
00:24:34,599 --> 00:24:37,659
of being extremely energetic
in the sun.

501
00:24:37,769 --> 00:24:40,033
Where better to start
than Ventura County

502
00:24:40,138 --> 00:24:41,435
and Surfer's Point,

503
00:24:41,540 --> 00:24:45,806
and the place where many surfers
hang out, the Bad Ass Cafe.

504
00:24:50,181 --> 00:24:51,705
ln the 1 960s,

505
00:24:51,816 --> 00:24:55,047
the Beach Boys were the first
to put surf slang into hit songs

506
00:24:55,153 --> 00:24:57,747
like ''Surfin' Safari.''

507
00:24:59,357 --> 00:25:00,016
ROBERT: Hi.

508
00:25:00,125 --> 00:25:01,023
PLOMARlTY: Hi there.

509
00:25:01,126 --> 00:25:02,650
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
l've come to the Bad Ass Café

510
00:25:02,761 --> 00:25:04,592
to meet someone
who lives to surf.

511
00:25:04,696 --> 00:25:05,560
ROBERT: You busy?

512
00:25:05,664 --> 00:25:06,358
PLOMARlTY:
Not too much today.

513
00:25:06,464 --> 00:25:07,624
The surf's too good?

514
00:25:07,732 --> 00:25:09,757
Surf's too good,
for sure...for sure.

515
00:25:09,868 --> 00:25:12,336
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
George Plomarity
has qualified as a paralegal,

516
00:25:12,437 --> 00:25:15,338
but he prefers to work here
at the Bad Ass.

517
00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:16,907
PLOMARlTY:
...three bucks please.

518
00:25:17,008 --> 00:25:18,202
ROBERT: Yes.

519
00:25:18,310 --> 00:25:20,073
ROBERT MACNElL (VO): What he
earns here pays for his passion:

520
00:25:20,178 --> 00:25:21,770
to surf.

521
00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:23,541
When he finishes work,

522
00:25:23,648 --> 00:25:25,275
George agrees
to take me for a ride

523
00:25:25,383 --> 00:25:27,351
in his classic
Volkswagen minibus

524
00:25:27,452 --> 00:25:30,683
and show me world famous
Rincon Point.

525
00:25:33,358 --> 00:25:36,020
PLOMARlTY: l've had this car
about seven months now.

526
00:25:36,127 --> 00:25:38,595
Oh really, you haven't
had it since 1 970?

527
00:25:38,697 --> 00:25:40,961
PLOMARlTY: No, l haven't even
been alive since 1 970.

528
00:25:41,066 --> 00:25:42,556
l was only born in '75

529
00:25:42,667 --> 00:25:44,965
Right. Oh, oh God.

530
00:25:50,976 --> 00:25:52,204
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
California speech

531
00:25:52,310 --> 00:25:53,902
seems to be having
a growing influence

532
00:25:54,012 --> 00:25:56,173
on mainstream American.

533
00:25:56,281 --> 00:25:58,078
PLOMARlTY: When we get out
to Rincon, you'll see.

534
00:25:58,183 --> 00:26:00,879
The Point actually comes all the
way into here before it ends.

535
00:26:00,986 --> 00:26:03,318
These little guys are surfing
a spot called The Wall.

536
00:26:03,421 --> 00:26:05,321
That's a fun little surf spot.

537
00:26:05,423 --> 00:26:07,118
That single fin's
gonna killer.

538
00:26:07,225 --> 00:26:08,658
This is gonna be great.

539
00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:10,625
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
l want to know if surf slang

540
00:26:10,729 --> 00:26:13,823
is still shaping
California speech.

541
00:26:13,932 --> 00:26:15,923
PLOMARlTY: Wow, there's
a lot of people in the water.

542
00:26:19,971 --> 00:26:22,701
Look at that great wave...
That guy's still going on it

543
00:26:22,807 --> 00:26:24,604
He's gonna set up
for on the inside.

544
00:26:27,846 --> 00:26:30,076
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
20 years ago for our TV series

545
00:26:30,181 --> 00:26:31,273
''The Story of English,''

546
00:26:31,383 --> 00:26:34,648
we filmed a rock band
called the Surf Punks.

547
00:26:36,488 --> 00:26:41,152
l started by showing George
a clip from our old film.

548
00:26:41,259 --> 00:26:44,319
ROBERT:
l think it'll interest you.

549
00:26:44,429 --> 00:26:45,589
SURFER: So, uh, Mark,
what'd you do today?

550
00:26:45,697 --> 00:26:46,959
MARK: Well, like, you know,
l got this new stick

551
00:26:47,065 --> 00:26:50,000
and l was, like, cranking
on some radical tubes.

552
00:26:50,101 --> 00:26:51,693
SURFER: Oh yeah, sure.
How big was it?

553
00:26:51,803 --> 00:26:53,668
MARK: lt was, like,
radically overhead, man...

554
00:26:53,772 --> 00:26:56,969
SURFER: Oh, give it up. This is
take two, ''Life's a Beach.''

555
00:26:57,075 --> 00:27:00,442
PLOMARlTY: That's great.

556
00:27:00,545 --> 00:27:01,910
SURF PUNKS:
So check it out, dude,

557
00:27:02,013 --> 00:27:05,278
you know, like, l was cruisin'
the beach yesterday

558
00:27:05,383 --> 00:27:07,544
And, you know, the waves,
they were totally crankin'

559
00:27:07,652 --> 00:27:08,983
l mean, it was really hot

560
00:27:09,087 --> 00:27:10,520
SURFER: These certain words

561
00:27:10,622 --> 00:27:12,954
find their way
into the whole language,

562
00:27:13,058 --> 00:27:15,151
and some,
it's pretty off the wall.

563
00:27:15,260 --> 00:27:17,353
ln surfing,
when the wave curls over,

564
00:27:17,462 --> 00:27:19,453
that's, like, ''the tube,''
or ''the pocket.''

565
00:27:19,564 --> 00:27:20,792
So if you're in the tube,

566
00:27:20,899 --> 00:27:24,300
you're taking the highest risk
and you're very rad.

567
00:27:24,402 --> 00:27:27,894
SURFER: l saw this chick,
and she had a totally tight bod,

568
00:27:28,006 --> 00:27:30,440
and she was totally buff,
and that, that means that

569
00:27:30,542 --> 00:27:34,103
she is in shape
and she's clean,

570
00:27:34,212 --> 00:27:36,339
and she's looking good.

571
00:27:36,448 --> 00:27:38,245
SURFER: Well, some guy's
wearing some rad outfit,

572
00:27:38,349 --> 00:27:40,943
and just go, ''Wow, man, that's
rad, that's pretty gnarly.''

573
00:27:41,052 --> 00:27:42,349
SURFER: Cookin'.

574
00:27:42,454 --> 00:27:43,512
SURFER: Look at this:

575
00:27:43,621 --> 00:27:45,282
we all, the same watches;
they're totally rad.

576
00:27:45,390 --> 00:27:47,085
SURFER: Way rad. Way rad.

577
00:27:47,192 --> 00:27:49,126
ROBERT: So is that stuff
still current?

578
00:27:49,227 --> 00:27:50,922
PLOMARlTY: Yeah, l think it is.
l think it is.

579
00:27:51,029 --> 00:27:53,395
Those words are all used
and definitely, like,

580
00:27:53,498 --> 00:27:55,489
find their way into
vernacular speech, you know.

581
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:57,693
You can hear everyone describing
things as ''rad,''

582
00:27:57,802 --> 00:28:00,703
or, you know, or people
being like, like ''hot,''

583
00:28:00,805 --> 00:28:02,966
or truly radical.

584
00:28:03,074 --> 00:28:04,302
A lot of those phrases

585
00:28:04,409 --> 00:28:07,344
that came out in the early '80s,
got co-opted, you know.

586
00:28:07,445 --> 00:28:10,107
They got taken over by, like,
some corporate people

587
00:28:10,215 --> 00:28:12,240
that use them
to schlog t-shirts.

588
00:28:12,350 --> 00:28:14,181
''To the max,''
that's a wonderful example

589
00:28:14,285 --> 00:28:16,879
of something that was taken
by Pepsi in the '80s, you know,

590
00:28:16,988 --> 00:28:20,048
and just whored
until it's not used anymore.

591
00:28:20,158 --> 00:28:22,149
ROBERT: What are
some of the new expressions?

592
00:28:22,260 --> 00:28:25,252
PLOMARlTY: Uh, ''full on.''
Full on's a great example.

593
00:28:25,363 --> 00:28:26,887
Uh, ''off the wall;''
he uses that.

594
00:28:26,998 --> 00:28:28,488
That's another phrase
you hear a lot, you know,

595
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,592
or ''right on,'' or ''fully,''
or like...

596
00:28:31,703 --> 00:28:32,727
ROBERT: Fat?

597
00:28:32,837 --> 00:28:34,464
PLOMARlTY: That was ''phat,''
like a phat air.

598
00:28:34,572 --> 00:28:36,096
lt's ''phat'' like with a ''ph.''

599
00:28:36,207 --> 00:28:39,734
ROBERT: And ''phat air'' means
going off the wave, in the air?

600
00:28:39,844 --> 00:28:41,971
PLOMARlTY: Exactly, exactly,
and being really high.

601
00:28:42,380 --> 00:28:44,314
Surfers themselves

602
00:28:44,415 --> 00:28:46,815
have just moved into the
mainstream of the culture,

603
00:28:46,918 --> 00:28:48,249
and that's why their expressions

604
00:28:48,353 --> 00:28:49,980
are heading in that direction,
you know.

605
00:28:50,088 --> 00:28:51,749
We have, like, a lot of people
that are professionals,

606
00:28:51,856 --> 00:28:53,517
they'd go out and surf
in the morning, you know...

607
00:28:53,625 --> 00:28:55,525
get as crazy as they can

608
00:28:55,627 --> 00:28:57,527
and really push themselves
to their limits,

609
00:28:57,629 --> 00:29:00,029
and then, you know, take a
shower and go to the law office,

610
00:29:00,131 --> 00:29:01,723
and they're going to carry over

611
00:29:01,833 --> 00:29:03,164
that language with them,
you know.

612
00:29:03,268 --> 00:29:04,735
And a great example of that
would be, like, the phrase

613
00:29:04,836 --> 00:29:05,894
''caught inside.''

614
00:29:06,004 --> 00:29:07,301
You know, you hear that
all over the place

615
00:29:07,405 --> 00:29:09,305
in describing any situation
where you suddenly have to,

616
00:29:09,407 --> 00:29:11,773
to try and deal with
a whole lot of stuff

617
00:29:11,876 --> 00:29:13,707
coming at you
at the same moment.

618
00:29:13,812 --> 00:29:15,803
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
lt seems that surf slang

619
00:29:15,914 --> 00:29:18,610
remains as vigorous
and inventive as ever.

620
00:29:18,716 --> 00:29:21,742
Listen to George describe
the perfect ''ride.''

621
00:29:21,853 --> 00:29:23,946
PLOMARlTY: You know,
waves break in sections,

622
00:29:24,055 --> 00:29:25,249
so you can talk about, like,

623
00:29:25,356 --> 00:29:27,517
wow, you know,
that first section was sick.

624
00:29:27,625 --> 00:29:29,183
You know, that drop
was really heavy.

625
00:29:29,294 --> 00:29:30,921
lt made that bottom turn,
came around,

626
00:29:31,029 --> 00:29:32,121
went through that mushy part,

627
00:29:32,230 --> 00:29:33,788
and then it just jacked
on that second bowl,

628
00:29:33,898 --> 00:29:36,059
got that floater,
came into the inside,

629
00:29:36,167 --> 00:29:38,032
and just cracked that lip
as hard as l could,

630
00:29:38,136 --> 00:29:39,535
set up for that barrel and just

631
00:29:39,637 --> 00:29:43,334
right out into
the green room, man. Sick.

632
00:29:50,849 --> 00:29:53,374
ROBERT: That's very interesting.

633
00:29:53,484 --> 00:29:55,782
Have you done any writing
on the language?

634
00:29:55,887 --> 00:29:57,718
PLOMARlTY: No, not really.

635
00:30:03,094 --> 00:30:06,495
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
New language always grows
at the cutting edge of life,

636
00:30:06,598 --> 00:30:09,999
and California's lifestyle
is nothing if not cutting edge.

637
00:30:20,712 --> 00:30:22,270
STEVE BADlLLO:
We use a lot of terms

638
00:30:22,380 --> 00:30:24,712
that help describe
skateboarding...

639
00:30:26,284 --> 00:30:29,776
goofy foot, regular foot,
switch, going fakey.

640
00:30:32,390 --> 00:30:36,952
''Rippers''...you know, ''ripping,''
are just adjectives

641
00:30:37,061 --> 00:30:41,760
to describe kids or skaters
that are just ripping,

642
00:30:41,866 --> 00:30:44,232
tearing it up
out there on the course

643
00:30:44,335 --> 00:30:46,929
and just having
a good time and ripping.

644
00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:52,167
When you get into a park and
there's a lot of guys skating,

645
00:30:52,277 --> 00:30:55,610
and everyone's hyping
each other on

646
00:30:55,713 --> 00:30:57,874
and everyone's
trying to outdo each other,

647
00:30:57,982 --> 00:31:00,007
you know, that's the time
to just really go out

648
00:31:00,118 --> 00:31:02,951
and, you know,
blast the biggest airs you can,

649
00:31:03,054 --> 00:31:04,851
and do the longest grinds
you can,

650
00:31:04,956 --> 00:31:08,187
and just perform
as best you can.

651
00:31:08,293 --> 00:31:10,887
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Steve Badillo's slang
is so far out for me,

652
00:31:10,995 --> 00:31:13,862
that he needs to translate
almost every other word.

653
00:31:16,067 --> 00:31:18,627
BADlLLO: ln skateboarding,
one little false move,

654
00:31:18,736 --> 00:31:22,331
one little thing off,
and you're, you're slamming,

655
00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:24,169
you're taking a fall.

656
00:31:24,275 --> 00:31:26,903
But l like blasting airs,
for sure.

657
00:31:27,011 --> 00:31:29,445
ROBERT: And that's what you were
doing over the doorway here?

658
00:31:29,547 --> 00:31:32,710
BADlLLO: Sure. That was
a frontside air over the gap.

659
00:31:32,817 --> 00:31:38,449
''Coping'' is basically
the steel pipe or plastic pvc

660
00:31:38,556 --> 00:31:41,616
that's on the tops
of the lip of the ramps.

661
00:31:41,726 --> 00:31:43,057
We call it ''coping.''

662
00:31:43,161 --> 00:31:44,560
ROBERT:
That's what you grind on?

663
00:31:44,662 --> 00:31:47,688
BADlLLO: That's what you
grind on and do the tricks on

664
00:31:47,799 --> 00:31:49,289
is on the coping.

665
00:31:51,202 --> 00:31:53,170
Street skating,
vert skating,

666
00:31:53,271 --> 00:31:55,432
pool skating
and downhill bombing--

667
00:31:55,540 --> 00:31:57,633
which, you know,
most skaters love--

668
00:31:57,742 --> 00:32:03,237
just the basic natural form
of just going down a hill

669
00:32:03,348 --> 00:32:06,044
and going as fast as you can
and carving it up

670
00:32:06,150 --> 00:32:08,641
and having fun with it.

671
00:32:17,662 --> 00:32:20,460
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
There's a whole new lexicon
for snowboarders.

672
00:32:20,565 --> 00:32:21,532
''Sticking it clean''

673
00:32:21,632 --> 00:32:24,795
means pulling off a trick
to perfection.

674
00:32:24,902 --> 00:32:27,427
lf you can repeat the trick
again and again,

675
00:32:27,538 --> 00:32:29,472
you've got it ''dialed in.''

676
00:32:34,846 --> 00:32:36,279
GOFF: That's sick.

677
00:32:36,381 --> 00:32:38,178
That's the super...like,
super sick stuff.

678
00:32:38,282 --> 00:32:39,214
ROBERT: Sick?

679
00:32:39,317 --> 00:32:40,375
GOFF: Yeah,
it's pretty much sick.

680
00:32:40,485 --> 00:32:41,816
Like, someone goes off
and does something,

681
00:32:41,919 --> 00:32:43,682
and stomps it clean,
then that's--

682
00:32:43,788 --> 00:32:45,050
you're gonna, like,
give him props

683
00:32:45,156 --> 00:32:46,487
and that's gonna be
something sick.

684
00:32:46,591 --> 00:32:48,821
And it's gonna
raise the level of riding

685
00:32:48,926 --> 00:32:50,860
and just get
everybody amped up.

686
00:32:55,066 --> 00:32:57,125
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Jayk Goff's snowboard lingo

687
00:32:57,235 --> 00:32:59,829
isn't the only thing that
fascinates me about his speech.

688
00:32:59,937 --> 00:33:02,269
Young Californians,
and now much of the world,

689
00:33:02,373 --> 00:33:05,399
say ''like'' where we once said
''um'' or ''er.''

690
00:33:05,510 --> 00:33:08,604
And they use ''like'' to mean
''quote - unquote.''

691
00:33:08,713 --> 00:33:12,342
Jayk uses ''like'' 1 3 times,
in both senses,

692
00:33:12,450 --> 00:33:14,350
in the next 7 4 words.

693
00:33:14,452 --> 00:33:16,647
GOFF: l--like, what l say,
''like'' sometimes

694
00:33:16,754 --> 00:33:17,948
people just don't understand it.

695
00:33:18,056 --> 00:33:20,718
Like, l--like, my terminology
for certain things,

696
00:33:20,825 --> 00:33:23,259
which is, like,
like for my clique, my group,

697
00:33:23,361 --> 00:33:26,262
of, like, my friends, like,
nobody else understands it.

698
00:33:26,364 --> 00:33:27,991
so if l go someplace else,
or someplace new,

699
00:33:28,099 --> 00:33:29,396
they are, like,
they don't know it,

700
00:33:29,500 --> 00:33:32,901
so, like, and they're like,
what are you talking about?

701
00:33:57,161 --> 00:33:59,152
ROBERT: Hi.
l'm from Public Broadcasting.

702
00:33:59,263 --> 00:34:01,493
We're here to do some filming.

703
00:34:03,968 --> 00:34:09,634
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Wars and armies have always
added words to our language...

704
00:34:09,740 --> 00:34:11,537
DRlLL lNSTRUCTOR: Loud and
viscious on the pivot

705
00:34:15,646 --> 00:34:17,637
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
...words like ''shock and awe,''

706
00:34:17,748 --> 00:34:22,276
''collateral damage,'' and
''weapons of mass destruction.''

707
00:34:25,823 --> 00:34:28,519
The U.S. military
has always been a forcing ground

708
00:34:28,626 --> 00:34:30,150
for social change.

709
00:34:30,261 --> 00:34:32,126
They were among
the first national institutions

710
00:34:32,230 --> 00:34:34,824
to confront racism
and segregation.

711
00:34:40,037 --> 00:34:43,996
Now they're on the frontline
of the war on sexism.

712
00:34:44,108 --> 00:34:47,168
The Marine Corps drills this
into its new recruits.

713
00:34:47,278 --> 00:34:49,872
SCOTT McLAUGHLlN:
There's a green zone,
a yellow zone, and a red zone.

714
00:34:49,981 --> 00:34:53,917
The green zone would be just
a normal interaction

715
00:34:54,018 --> 00:34:56,509
between male and female.

716
00:34:56,621 --> 00:34:59,886
The yellow zone would
probably be the sort of comments

717
00:34:59,991 --> 00:35:02,391
where it
could be taken as something

718
00:35:02,493 --> 00:35:04,518
that may be sexually oriented

719
00:35:04,629 --> 00:35:09,532
or may cause someone
to feel uncomfortable.

720
00:35:09,634 --> 00:35:14,264
The red zone is considered just
to be a blatant sexual remark,

721
00:35:14,372 --> 00:35:18,741
like, ''Check him or her out,''
''look what they have there,''

722
00:35:18,843 --> 00:35:20,743
or ''l want to get some of that.''

723
00:35:20,845 --> 00:35:24,042
DENlSE RUlZ: How has the
language changed as far as...

724
00:35:24,148 --> 00:35:25,376
ROBERT: The way,
the way the men talk.

725
00:35:25,483 --> 00:35:27,041
RUlZ:
Like cursing and telling jokes?

726
00:35:27,151 --> 00:35:28,277
Yeah.

727
00:35:28,386 --> 00:35:30,479
RUlZ: Like l said, it all
depends on how you are.

728
00:35:30,588 --> 00:35:33,523
lf you can tell a joke
just as good as they can,

729
00:35:33,624 --> 00:35:35,524
laugh, tell yours, too.

730
00:35:35,626 --> 00:35:36,524
lf you're the type that

731
00:35:36,627 --> 00:35:37,821
you don't wanna hear
jokes like that,

732
00:35:37,929 --> 00:35:39,726
you tell them that.
And they should respect that.

733
00:35:39,830 --> 00:35:41,491
lf you'd like it
hey, by all means.

734
00:35:41,599 --> 00:35:44,124
lf you don't, say something.

735
00:35:44,235 --> 00:35:45,964
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
The military reflects

736
00:35:46,070 --> 00:35:48,334
what's happening
in society at large.

737
00:35:48,439 --> 00:35:50,304
The triumph
of political correctness,

738
00:35:50,408 --> 00:35:52,035
or euphemism, perhaps,

739
00:35:52,143 --> 00:35:54,270
but in language these days,

740
00:35:54,378 --> 00:35:57,347
Americans seem reluctant
to give offense to anyone.

741
00:35:57,448 --> 00:36:02,715
ROBERT: What is the Marine Corps
policy on gays in the Marines?

742
00:36:05,856 --> 00:36:07,380
ANDY BEAVERS:
Marine Corps policy

743
00:36:07,491 --> 00:36:13,088
on homosexuals in the military
is that we don't ask,

744
00:36:13,197 --> 00:36:16,598
and they don't offer
that information up.

745
00:36:16,701 --> 00:36:19,966
Basically, the ''Don't Ask,
Don't Tell'' policy.

746
00:36:20,071 --> 00:36:21,402
ROBERT:
And is that working?

747
00:36:21,505 --> 00:36:23,302
BEAVERS: l think it is, sir.

748
00:36:23,507 --> 00:36:25,532
TOM AMMlANO:
Happy Gay Day

749
00:36:28,546 --> 00:36:31,572
Alright, Happy Gay Day

750
00:36:36,687 --> 00:36:39,884
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Gay Pride Day
in San Francisco...

751
00:36:39,991 --> 00:36:43,290
Tom Ammiano,
a gay comedian in the 1 980s,

752
00:36:43,394 --> 00:36:47,592
ran for mayor in 2003.

753
00:36:47,698 --> 00:36:51,031
Today, many of the words
Tom uses to describe the march--

754
00:36:51,135 --> 00:36:53,126
queen, queer, fag, dyke--

755
00:36:53,237 --> 00:36:57,230
would once have been seen
as offensive, homophobic.

756
00:36:57,341 --> 00:36:59,275
But today, these women delight

757
00:36:59,377 --> 00:37:02,869
in calling themselves
''dykes on bikes.''

758
00:37:02,980 --> 00:37:06,313
AMMlANO: Dyke and bikes
is always a thrill.

759
00:37:06,417 --> 00:37:07,714
Dykes on bikes--

760
00:37:07,818 --> 00:37:09,649
which always traditionally
starts off the parade

761
00:37:09,754 --> 00:37:12,848
because we're now
accumulating a history.

762
00:37:16,093 --> 00:37:19,756
You'll see the S & M community
and the leather community,

763
00:37:19,864 --> 00:37:22,526
the cross-dressing
drag queen community--

764
00:37:22,633 --> 00:37:26,899
gay cops--always have a big
contingence in that group--

765
00:37:27,004 --> 00:37:28,198
gay clergy.

766
00:37:28,306 --> 00:37:33,005
You'll even see--yes,
my friends--gay Republicans.

767
00:37:37,782 --> 00:37:40,546
l used to do a joke about them
about their cheer being,

768
00:37:40,651 --> 00:37:43,779
''We're here, we're queer,
we're sorry.''

769
00:37:43,888 --> 00:37:46,379
ROBERT MACNElL (VO): The word
''queer'' was once a hot topic

770
00:37:46,490 --> 00:37:49,653
for the committee that organizes
the Gay Pride March.

771
00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:51,193
CALVlN GlBSON: l think
the Pride Committee

772
00:37:51,295 --> 00:37:56,028
got very radical in 1 993
when the theme for the parade

773
00:37:56,133 --> 00:37:58,829
was ''The Year of the Queer.''

774
00:37:58,936 --> 00:38:00,767
That forced us, that placed it

775
00:38:00,871 --> 00:38:03,362
on a national platform,
the word ''queer.''

776
00:38:03,474 --> 00:38:04,998
ROBERT: Calvin, is it analogous

777
00:38:05,109 --> 00:38:08,567
to some blacks calling
themselves ''nigger'' nowadays,

778
00:38:08,679 --> 00:38:11,477
but being very offended if...
if some white person--

779
00:38:11,582 --> 00:38:13,015
GlBSON: That's...
that's exactly...

780
00:38:13,117 --> 00:38:14,641
that's exactly what it is.

781
00:38:14,752 --> 00:38:18,017
ROBERT: And how do you describe
that movement of the word?

782
00:38:18,122 --> 00:38:20,056
What...
why has it evolved like that?

783
00:38:20,157 --> 00:38:23,354
GlBSON: l believe it's because
people feel disempowered,

784
00:38:23,461 --> 00:38:25,759
and this is one way
to empower themselves.

785
00:38:25,863 --> 00:38:28,730
lf we can use the word ''queer''
so many times

786
00:38:28,833 --> 00:38:32,291
that it just becomes
a normal word in our language

787
00:38:32,403 --> 00:38:34,132
without any consequence,

788
00:38:34,238 --> 00:38:37,173
then l think we see ourselves
as being more empowered.

789
00:38:37,274 --> 00:38:39,970
So it sort of proves the point

790
00:38:40,077 --> 00:38:43,171
that you can change
the meaning of words.

791
00:38:46,183 --> 00:38:49,016
AMMlANO: We're here,
we're proud, we're not hiding,

792
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,816
and we want to take away
any of the prejudices

793
00:38:51,922 --> 00:38:54,083
and want to say to you,
''l'm not going to hide it''

794
00:38:54,191 --> 00:38:56,887
''so that you can continue
to persecute us.''

795
00:39:02,099 --> 00:39:04,966
ROBERT MACNElL (VO): The ability
to speak and understand language

796
00:39:05,069 --> 00:39:08,266
almost defines
what it is to be human.

797
00:39:09,607 --> 00:39:13,304
But some human abilities
are increasingly being matched,

798
00:39:13,411 --> 00:39:16,312
or surpassed, by computers.

799
00:39:26,891 --> 00:39:28,188
Today, in fact,

800
00:39:28,292 --> 00:39:30,453
the cutting edge of research
in Silicon Valley

801
00:39:30,561 --> 00:39:33,291
involves teaching computers to
speak to us,

802
00:39:33,397 --> 00:39:38,733
and understand us,
and thus be easier to use.

803
00:39:38,836 --> 00:39:41,134
That research
raises fundamental questions

804
00:39:41,238 --> 00:39:44,901
about American speech
and about language itself.

805
00:39:46,410 --> 00:39:49,743
To learn more about all this,
l've come to meet Cliff Nass,

806
00:39:49,847 --> 00:39:53,510
a professor here
at Stanford University.

807
00:39:53,617 --> 00:39:56,245
NASS: Humans are what we call
''voice activated.''

808
00:39:56,353 --> 00:39:57,911
The minute
the brain hears something

809
00:39:58,022 --> 00:40:00,149
that sounds even remotely
like human speech,

810
00:40:00,257 --> 00:40:03,192
we bring to bear all the rules
and expectations that we do

811
00:40:03,294 --> 00:40:04,727
when dealing with other people.

812
00:40:04,829 --> 00:40:06,524
So we listen
for the same cues--

813
00:40:06,630 --> 00:40:08,723
what's the gender of the voice?
What's the emotion?

814
00:40:08,833 --> 00:40:11,199
What's the personality?
How should l speak back?

815
00:40:11,302 --> 00:40:13,236
What are my expectations
and understanding?

816
00:40:13,337 --> 00:40:14,895
And we basically can't help it.

817
00:40:15,005 --> 00:40:16,734
ROBERT: And so, what
sort of things do they do?

818
00:40:16,841 --> 00:40:18,741
NASS: Well,
they respond with politeness

819
00:40:18,843 --> 00:40:20,777
and a whole range
of other responses.

820
00:40:20,878 --> 00:40:22,106
ROBERT: So it isn't
such a bad joke

821
00:40:22,213 --> 00:40:23,510
that Canadians say thank you

822
00:40:23,614 --> 00:40:26,412
to their automatic
teller machine, is it?

823
00:40:26,517 --> 00:40:28,246
NASS: No, in fact,
it's highly natural,

824
00:40:28,352 --> 00:40:32,015
and it's probably much harder to
avoid saying it than to say it.

825
00:40:32,122 --> 00:40:34,147
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Voice-activated technology

826
00:40:34,258 --> 00:40:36,818
has enormous
commercial possibilites.

827
00:40:36,927 --> 00:40:40,260
The German automaker BMW
hired Cliff Nass

828
00:40:40,364 --> 00:40:44,425
to research the right voice
for its latest luxury sedan.

829
00:40:44,535 --> 00:40:47,698
A BMW salesman let me
test drive the vehicle

830
00:40:47,805 --> 00:40:50,433
and the voice
Cliff chose for it.

831
00:40:50,541 --> 00:40:53,874
COMPUTER:
Navigation menu.

832
00:40:53,978 --> 00:40:56,242
You have selected
the following entry...

833
00:40:56,347 --> 00:41:00,215
ROBERT: lt talks to you.
l mean...''Telephone.''

834
00:41:00,317 --> 00:41:01,614
COMPUTER: Pardon me?

835
00:41:01,719 --> 00:41:03,186
Telephone.

836
00:41:03,287 --> 00:41:05,221
COMPUTER: Telephone menu.

837
00:41:05,322 --> 00:41:07,984
ROBERT: You see,
then it keeps asking you.

838
00:41:08,092 --> 00:41:10,356
Oh, it didn't like
what l said,

839
00:41:10,461 --> 00:41:12,588
so it turned it off.

840
00:41:12,696 --> 00:41:14,254
NASS: So one of the things,

841
00:41:14,365 --> 00:41:16,128
the first consideration
in choosing a voice

842
00:41:16,233 --> 00:41:17,928
is should it be male or female.

843
00:41:18,035 --> 00:41:20,765
ln fact, in the original
German version of the interface,

844
00:41:20,871 --> 00:41:22,566
they chose a female voice.

845
00:41:22,673 --> 00:41:25,540
And German reactors
reacted very negatively

846
00:41:25,643 --> 00:41:28,840
saying that, ''l don't wanna be
told how to drive by a woman.''

847
00:41:28,946 --> 00:41:30,880
And, in fact, they actually
had a product recall

848
00:41:30,981 --> 00:41:34,178
requiring them to, in fact,
have a male voice instead.

849
00:41:34,285 --> 00:41:36,048
ROBERT: But what about
American men?

850
00:41:36,153 --> 00:41:39,054
l mean, they're
much more amenable

851
00:41:39,156 --> 00:41:41,818
to being told by women
how to drive, aren't they?

852
00:41:41,926 --> 00:41:42,915
NASS: Well, l don't know

853
00:41:43,027 --> 00:41:45,018
that they'd wanna
pay extra for it, though.

854
00:41:45,129 --> 00:41:48,758
ROBERT: So just tell me,
what your input was

855
00:41:48,866 --> 00:41:51,960
in arriving at the voice
that the BMW uses?

856
00:41:52,069 --> 00:41:54,435
NASS: We've generated
about 25 models--

857
00:41:54,538 --> 00:41:58,770
everything from Knight Rider
to Hal, the computer in ''2001 ,''

858
00:41:58,876 --> 00:42:02,676
to the guy who's usually the
main buck on the stage coach--

859
00:42:02,780 --> 00:42:05,271
a sort of wacky older guy
who rode shotgun--

860
00:42:05,382 --> 00:42:08,317
to a best friend,
to a golfing buddy, etc.,

861
00:42:08,419 --> 00:42:10,080
and went through all those
and said, which one

862
00:42:10,187 --> 00:42:14,920
would best fit the positioning
of the BMW automobile.

863
00:42:15,025 --> 00:42:16,253
We then went through

864
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,920
and listened to hundreds
and thousands of voices

865
00:42:19,029 --> 00:42:21,463
to come up with those
that sounded like a co-pilot--

866
00:42:21,565 --> 00:42:25,228
male, slightly younger than
the average age of the driver

867
00:42:25,336 --> 00:42:28,396
so they wouldn't
feel threatened...

868
00:42:28,505 --> 00:42:31,167
a masculine voice,
but not overly masculine...

869
00:42:31,275 --> 00:42:33,106
speaks relatively slowly

870
00:42:33,210 --> 00:42:35,872
so that it doesn't feel like
he's trying to take control.

871
00:42:35,980 --> 00:42:38,005
And from that,
we then selected the voice.

872
00:42:38,115 --> 00:42:39,673
ROBERT: Are other products
than cars

873
00:42:39,783 --> 00:42:41,614
going to have voices
and personalities, too?

874
00:42:41,719 --> 00:42:44,210
NASS: There's going to be
a spread of voice technologies

875
00:42:44,321 --> 00:42:46,789
from the high end
to lower-end things,

876
00:42:46,890 --> 00:42:49,188
more and more products
having those technologies.

877
00:42:49,293 --> 00:42:50,760
And then there are
gonna be the issues

878
00:42:50,861 --> 00:42:52,055
of how do we integrate them all?

879
00:42:52,162 --> 00:42:54,289
Do we want a cacophony
of voices in our home

880
00:42:54,398 --> 00:42:56,866
screaming for attention
at various times?

881
00:42:56,967 --> 00:42:58,832
ROBERT: Oh my god, you
get home after a hard day,

882
00:42:58,936 --> 00:43:01,234
and 1 5 things in the house
trying to talk to you.

883
00:43:01,338 --> 00:43:03,363
NASS: lt's not clear that people
are gonna want to have

884
00:43:03,474 --> 00:43:06,068
long conversations with their
toasters or refrigerators.

885
00:43:06,176 --> 00:43:08,701
You have to design
around that problem.

886
00:43:12,182 --> 00:43:14,047
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
The way we react to voices

887
00:43:14,151 --> 00:43:15,641
becomes much more complicated

888
00:43:15,753 --> 00:43:19,211
when we can also
see who's talking.

889
00:43:19,323 --> 00:43:21,814
NASS: This is Baldy,
and what's special about Baldy

890
00:43:21,925 --> 00:43:24,655
is he is able to say
anything you want him to say

891
00:43:24,762 --> 00:43:28,220
with extremely good lip movement
that matches what he says.

892
00:43:28,332 --> 00:43:29,663
ROBERT: Get him
to say something.

893
00:43:29,767 --> 00:43:30,927
NASS: Okay, what would
you like him to say?

894
00:43:31,035 --> 00:43:33,595
ROBERT: Um, how about...
my name is Baldy,

895
00:43:33,704 --> 00:43:36,468
welcome to the Stanford lab.

896
00:43:36,573 --> 00:43:38,666
NASS: l'm going to type that in

897
00:43:38,776 --> 00:43:41,939
and then we'll just
have Baldy repeat it.

898
00:43:42,046 --> 00:43:46,847
Baldy: My name is Baldy.
Welcome to the Stanford lab.

899
00:43:46,950 --> 00:43:52,252
ROBERT: What about a real human
with a synthesized voice?

900
00:43:52,356 --> 00:43:54,153
NASS: Well, we can show you
what that looks like.

901
00:43:54,258 --> 00:43:57,591
lMAGE: ''Windfall'' is the story
of an ordinary man

902
00:43:57,695 --> 00:43:59,856
in extraordinary circumstances.

903
00:43:59,963 --> 00:44:03,262
Ben Linedburg is a financially-
challenged English professor

904
00:44:03,367 --> 00:44:05,130
with a wife and two kids...

905
00:44:05,235 --> 00:44:06,827
NASS: That mismatch
leaves people to think

906
00:44:06,937 --> 00:44:08,598
that he's less intelligent.

907
00:44:08,706 --> 00:44:10,640
They trust
the synthetic voice less,

908
00:44:10,741 --> 00:44:11,833
and trust his face less,

909
00:44:11,942 --> 00:44:13,842
than if he spoke
like ''a real person.''

910
00:44:13,944 --> 00:44:15,775
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
ln experiment after experiment,

911
00:44:15,879 --> 00:44:18,404
Cliff Nass has found that
this kind of mismatching

912
00:44:18,515 --> 00:44:21,211
creates mistrust.

913
00:44:21,318 --> 00:44:25,186
Baldy is not trusted when he
speaks with a real human voice.

914
00:44:25,289 --> 00:44:27,484
Baldy is more trusted,
and more liked,

915
00:44:27,591 --> 00:44:29,786
when he speaks
with his synthetic voice,

916
00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:31,427
because he, himself,
is synthetic.

917
00:44:33,163 --> 00:44:36,098
The implications of this
research become really serious

918
00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:39,636
when mismatching
is applied to race and gender.

919
00:44:39,737 --> 00:44:40,999
ROBERT: Oh

920
00:44:41,105 --> 00:44:44,199
NASS:
Here we see a picture of you.

921
00:44:44,308 --> 00:44:47,038
lMAGE:
Do l speak American?

922
00:44:47,144 --> 00:44:49,874
NASS: Here, we're using
a technology called ''veepers.''

923
00:44:49,980 --> 00:44:51,106
And what we were able to do

924
00:44:51,215 --> 00:44:52,910
is just take
a still photograph of you--

925
00:44:53,016 --> 00:44:55,280
you'll see that the face
moves and blinks--

926
00:44:55,385 --> 00:44:57,649
that's all being generated
by the computer.

927
00:44:57,755 --> 00:44:58,881
But, most powerfully,

928
00:44:58,989 --> 00:45:01,480
we can make you speak
in different voices.

929
00:45:01,592 --> 00:45:04,959
lMAGE: lf l spoke like this,
would you hire me for a job

930
00:45:05,062 --> 00:45:07,860
requiring contact
with the public?

931
00:45:07,965 --> 00:45:10,593
NASS: So we know immediately
that that's a male,

932
00:45:10,701 --> 00:45:12,293
an older male speaking,

933
00:45:12,402 --> 00:45:15,701
a strong, deep voice--
suggesting credibility--

934
00:45:15,806 --> 00:45:19,242
and it fits very well
with the face we see.

935
00:45:19,343 --> 00:45:22,073
Now we can ask the question,
what would happen

936
00:45:22,179 --> 00:45:26,639
if that same face spoke
with a voice that didn't match?

937
00:45:26,750 --> 00:45:28,308
And here's
what that sounds like...

938
00:45:28,418 --> 00:45:30,818
lMAGE: lf l spoke like this,
would you hire me for a job

939
00:45:30,921 --> 00:45:33,617
requiring contact
with the public?

940
00:45:33,724 --> 00:45:35,021
ROBERT: That's funny.

941
00:45:35,125 --> 00:45:38,026
l mean, it's...it makes me
sound like a White Southerner.

942
00:45:38,128 --> 00:45:39,925
NASS: Exactly,
but, interestingly,

943
00:45:40,030 --> 00:45:42,225
that voice is not from
a White Southerner.

944
00:45:42,332 --> 00:45:46,132
That voice is the voice
of John Baugh,

945
00:45:46,236 --> 00:45:47,965
who you spoke with earlier,

946
00:45:48,071 --> 00:45:52,804
and here's John Baugh
saying the same sentence.

947
00:45:52,910 --> 00:45:55,811
lMAGE: lf l spoke like this,
would you hire me for a job

948
00:45:55,913 --> 00:45:58,473
requiring contact
with the public?

949
00:45:58,582 --> 00:46:01,608
NASS: Even though those two
voices were literally identical,

950
00:46:01,718 --> 00:46:04,710
people listening
perceive them differently.

951
00:46:04,822 --> 00:46:07,552
ROBERT: And we know he doesn't
speak like that normally,

952
00:46:07,658 --> 00:46:11,355
he puts these accents on
for his own research purposes.

953
00:46:11,461 --> 00:46:14,191
Do you have him speaking
with his own voice?

954
00:46:14,298 --> 00:46:16,266
NASS: Yeah, here's something
we heard him say earlier...

955
00:46:16,366 --> 00:46:18,266
BAUGH: Hello,
l'm calling about the apartment

956
00:46:18,368 --> 00:46:20,393
you have advertised
in the paper.

957
00:46:20,504 --> 00:46:22,699
NASS: That mismatch
can lead to mistrust--

958
00:46:22,806 --> 00:46:26,765
perceived lack of intelligence,
unwillingness to purchase, etc.

959
00:46:26,877 --> 00:46:31,610
ROBERT: You mean somebody seeing
a Black, African American,

960
00:46:31,715 --> 00:46:35,947
speaking without an accent
they consider appropriate,

961
00:46:36,053 --> 00:46:37,350
they mistrust?

962
00:46:37,454 --> 00:46:39,649
NASS: Exactly, and that wouldn't
just apply to African Americans,

963
00:46:39,756 --> 00:46:41,656
that would apply
to any ethnicities.

964
00:46:41,758 --> 00:46:43,191
People, when they see a face,

965
00:46:43,293 --> 00:46:45,488
they bring to bear stereotypes
of how that person

966
00:46:45,596 --> 00:46:47,962
should behave, think, and speak.

967
00:46:48,065 --> 00:46:50,329
When those stereotypes
run counter,

968
00:46:50,434 --> 00:46:52,800
people say
there's something wrong here,

969
00:46:52,903 --> 00:46:55,599
and that mistrust
has consequences.

970
00:46:56,840 --> 00:46:58,034
ROBERT: As we've seen,

971
00:46:58,141 --> 00:47:00,666
all across the country
there are stereotypes

972
00:47:00,777 --> 00:47:06,340
of the way people perceive some
racially-associated accents,

973
00:47:06,450 --> 00:47:07,974
regional accents, and so on.

974
00:47:08,085 --> 00:47:13,853
ls this technology just going
to reinforce those stereotypes?

975
00:47:13,957 --> 00:47:16,357
NASS: Whatever stereotypes
people bring to bear

976
00:47:16,460 --> 00:47:18,428
when hearing a human
speaking in a certain way,

977
00:47:18,528 --> 00:47:21,053
they bring those exact
same stereotypes to bear

978
00:47:21,164 --> 00:47:22,722
when dealing with computers.

979
00:47:22,833 --> 00:47:25,063
lf the computer
has a female voice,

980
00:47:25,168 --> 00:47:28,365
it will be perceived as doing
stereotypically better in areas

981
00:47:28,472 --> 00:47:30,599
that are typically
associated with women,

982
00:47:30,707 --> 00:47:33,175
for example, discussions
of love and relationships.

983
00:47:33,277 --> 00:47:34,505
lt will be perceived as being

984
00:47:34,611 --> 00:47:37,239
a worse teacher of technical
subjects, like physics.

985
00:47:37,347 --> 00:47:39,110
ROBERT: So what will determine

986
00:47:39,216 --> 00:47:43,380
whether this use of computers
and synthesized voices

987
00:47:43,487 --> 00:47:46,456
reinforce
those stereotypical perceptions

988
00:47:46,556 --> 00:47:50,424
or is there the potential
for erasing them?

989
00:47:50,527 --> 00:47:53,018
NASS: lt's a great question.
lt has the potential for both.

990
00:47:53,130 --> 00:47:56,361
So, for example, let's say we
know that this regional accent

991
00:47:56,466 --> 00:47:58,400
is stereotyped
as being unintelligent,

992
00:47:58,502 --> 00:48:00,561
let's make sure we never use it
in any application

993
00:48:00,671 --> 00:48:02,536
that would imply
a need for intelligence,

994
00:48:02,639 --> 00:48:05,301
then those stereotypes
would be strongly reinforced.

995
00:48:05,409 --> 00:48:08,378
But let's say if we do
the opposite, that would then,

996
00:48:08,478 --> 00:48:10,639
because of the way our brains
are voice activated,

997
00:48:10,747 --> 00:48:12,806
would lead us
to weaken that stereotype

998
00:48:12,916 --> 00:48:14,383
and potentially eliminate it.

999
00:48:14,484 --> 00:48:15,746
ROBERT:
Going back to the comedian

1000
00:48:15,852 --> 00:48:19,845
who does the brain surgery jokes
with a Southern accent,

1001
00:48:19,957 --> 00:48:21,891
in other words, have all
brain surgery instruction

1002
00:48:21,992 --> 00:48:23,220
done with a Southern accent?

1003
00:48:23,327 --> 00:48:25,488
NASS: Exactly. That would
tend to lead us, over time,

1004
00:48:25,595 --> 00:48:26,926
to believe that, in fact,

1005
00:48:27,030 --> 00:48:29,157
brain surgeons can be
or should be Southern.

1006
00:48:40,010 --> 00:48:43,138
ROBERT: 9-0-3-6...

1007
00:48:43,246 --> 00:48:47,444
COMPUTER:
9-0-3-6, and next?

1008
00:48:47,551 --> 00:48:49,212
ROBERT: Dial.

1009
00:48:53,357 --> 00:48:55,552
ANSWERlNG MACHlNE: Hi, you've
reached Allison and David.

1010
00:48:55,659 --> 00:48:59,891
Please leave us a message and
we'll get right back to you.

1011
00:48:59,997 --> 00:49:02,227
ROBERT:
Hi, sweetie, lt's Daddy.

1012
00:49:02,332 --> 00:49:05,392
l'm driving along
the coast of California

1013
00:49:05,502 --> 00:49:08,869
on a beautiful sunny day,
and l wondered how things are

1014
00:49:08,972 --> 00:49:11,031
in Cambridge, Mass.

1015
00:49:11,141 --> 00:49:14,838
Anyway, talk to you soon, love.
Bye for now.

1016
00:49:18,215 --> 00:49:20,877
ROBERT:
Navigation system.

1017
00:49:20,984 --> 00:49:24,215
COMPUTER: Navigation menu.

1018
00:49:24,321 --> 00:49:26,687
ROBERT:
Navigation address book.

1019
00:49:26,790 --> 00:49:28,781
COMPUTER: Navigation menu.

1020
00:49:28,892 --> 00:49:30,382
ROBERT:
Address Book.

1021
00:49:30,494 --> 00:49:32,519
COMPUTER: Pardon me?

1022
00:49:32,629 --> 00:49:34,722
You have selected
the following entry:

1023
00:49:34,831 --> 00:49:38,130
''Help'' takes you, at any time,
to this general help.

1024
00:49:38,235 --> 00:49:40,396
With ''Options,''
the possible command options

1025
00:49:40,504 --> 00:49:41,528
are read out to you.

1026
00:49:41,638 --> 00:49:43,606
-Help.
-Yes or no?

1027
00:49:43,707 --> 00:49:47,006
ROBERT:
Yes, help...help.

1028
00:49:49,312 --> 00:49:51,337
ROBERT MACNElL (VO): Everything
in the American experience,

1029
00:49:51,448 --> 00:49:53,678
each new frontier encountered--

1030
00:49:53,784 --> 00:49:56,412
geographical,
spiritual, technical--

1031
00:49:56,520 --> 00:49:59,751
has altered our language.

1032
00:49:59,856 --> 00:50:02,347
What kind of a frontier
are we crossing

1033
00:50:02,459 --> 00:50:06,225
by teaching computers our
most fundamental human skill,

1034
00:50:06,329 --> 00:50:09,127
to speak?

1035
00:50:09,232 --> 00:50:13,259
That question leaves us
one last stop on our journey.

1036
00:50:13,370 --> 00:50:15,338
From San Francisco,
l follow the coast

1037
00:50:15,439 --> 00:50:17,964
north to the city
of Seattle...

1038
00:50:35,926 --> 00:50:38,656
...an early start this morning
to meet someone

1039
00:50:38,762 --> 00:50:41,890
who's at the cutting edge
of voice activated computers.

1040
00:50:41,998 --> 00:50:44,728
But his job at Microsoft
keeps him so busy

1041
00:50:44,835 --> 00:50:49,033
that the only chance we had to
talk was on his drive to work.

1042
00:50:56,379 --> 00:50:58,973
XD Huang
is an immigrant from China,

1043
00:50:59,082 --> 00:51:03,451
and he's the man who's teaching
our computers to talk to us.

1044
00:51:03,553 --> 00:51:07,455
HUANG: We want to bring
this benefit to the computer

1045
00:51:07,557 --> 00:51:11,721
so people can easily get
information from computers.

1046
00:51:11,828 --> 00:51:16,629
ROBERT: ls technology tending
to homogenize language?

1047
00:51:16,733 --> 00:51:19,031
HUANG:
lf you have a strong accent,

1048
00:51:19,136 --> 00:51:21,730
computer will probably
just ask you, ''What?''

1049
00:51:21,838 --> 00:51:24,170
''l'm sorry, what did you say?''

1050
00:51:24,274 --> 00:51:27,107
lf you've actually entangled
with today's computer system,

1051
00:51:27,210 --> 00:51:31,146
probably you have heard that
many times.

1052
00:51:31,248 --> 00:51:34,740
l'll just park here,
is that okay?

1053
00:51:35,886 --> 00:51:38,753
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
Microsoft aims to develop
computer programs

1054
00:51:38,855 --> 00:51:42,018
that will recognize
any American dialect.

1055
00:51:42,125 --> 00:51:44,685
Right now, however,
business logic suggests

1056
00:51:44,794 --> 00:51:46,819
an initial investment in speech

1057
00:51:46,930 --> 00:51:50,058
that is easiest
for computers to understand.

1058
00:51:51,301 --> 00:51:53,269
ROBERT:
l think you told us earlier

1059
00:51:53,370 --> 00:51:54,997
that if they sounded like CNN,

1060
00:51:55,105 --> 00:51:57,300
they would be recognized
by the computer?

1061
00:51:57,407 --> 00:52:00,035
HUANG: lf you use
Standard American English,

1062
00:52:00,143 --> 00:52:04,102
probably you will get
the work done easier, faster.

1063
00:52:15,792 --> 00:52:18,124
ROBERT MACNElL (VO):
So if XD Huang is right,

1064
00:52:18,228 --> 00:52:21,755
voice activated computers
could create an enormous drive

1065
00:52:21,865 --> 00:52:25,130
towards a standardized
American English.

1066
00:52:25,235 --> 00:52:26,497
People are always telling me

1067
00:52:26,603 --> 00:52:28,730
that television
has this effect.

1068
00:52:28,838 --> 00:52:31,170
But on this journey,
we've seen that, in many ways,

1069
00:52:31,274 --> 00:52:34,937
Americans are talking
less alike, not more.

1070
00:52:36,846 --> 00:52:39,781
And it seems to me that radio,
television, and movies

1071
00:52:39,883 --> 00:52:42,784
help us understand
other ways of speaking,

1072
00:52:42,886 --> 00:52:45,980
but they don't make us
speak that way.

1073
00:52:46,089 --> 00:52:48,114
Perhaps computers will.

1074
00:52:48,225 --> 00:52:49,886
And if they do,
we'll all end up

1075
00:52:49,993 --> 00:52:51,893
sounding much more
like one another--

1076
00:52:51,995 --> 00:52:55,260
or rather, sounding
much more like our computers.

1077
00:52:59,336 --> 00:53:02,203
VOlCE:
Welcome to United Airlines
flight information line.

1078
00:53:02,305 --> 00:53:05,468
Please enter or say
the United flight number.

1079
00:53:05,575 --> 00:53:07,372
United 24.

1080
00:53:07,477 --> 00:53:10,412
VOlCE: United flight 24
is scheduled to depart

1081
00:53:10,513 --> 00:53:15,314
on time at 9 am
from Seattle, Washington.

1082
00:53:15,418 --> 00:53:17,409
ROBERT:
Hello?

1083
00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:20,387
ROBERT MACNElL (VO): Will we
all end up sounding like that?

1084
00:53:20,490 --> 00:53:21,923
Personally, l don't think so.

1085
00:53:22,025 --> 00:53:23,583
We just
aren't programmed that way.

1086
00:53:23,693 --> 00:53:27,322
Our rich diversity, the
strong pull of local identity,

1087
00:53:27,430 --> 00:53:29,990
the joys
of new jargon and slang,

1088
00:53:30,100 --> 00:53:31,692
are all too
much part of who we are

1089
00:53:31,801 --> 00:53:34,599
as Americans...
and as human beings.

1090
00:53:43,380 --> 00:53:45,905
Well, l've reached
the end of the road.

1091
00:53:46,016 --> 00:53:49,645
We began our journey on the
ferry boat from Nova Scotia.

1092
00:53:49,753 --> 00:53:52,347
We end heading out from Seattle,

1093
00:53:52,455 --> 00:53:55,913
heading not into the sunset
of our language, as some fear,

1094
00:53:56,026 --> 00:53:58,790
but a continuous new dawn.

1095
00:54:02,632 --> 00:54:04,395
ROBERT: As it comes to an end,

1096
00:54:04,501 --> 00:54:06,366
what an experience
this has been,

1097
00:54:06,469 --> 00:54:09,495
this journey through
the American language,

1098
00:54:09,606 --> 00:54:13,599
and the people who speak it in
all their variety and vitality,

1099
00:54:13,710 --> 00:54:18,943
informality and creativity.
How to sum all that up?

1100
00:54:19,049 --> 00:54:21,643
Certainly no better
than Walt Whitman did,

1101
00:54:21,751 --> 00:54:23,946
more than a century ago
when he wrote,

1102
00:54:24,054 --> 00:54:25,521
''Our language is not''

1103
00:54:25,622 --> 00:54:28,716
''an abstract construction
of dictionary makers,''

1104
00:54:28,825 --> 00:54:31,851
''but has its basis
broad and low,''

1105
00:54:31,961 --> 00:54:35,897
''close to the ground.''
Truer than ever.

1106
00:54:35,999 --> 00:54:39,435
And, like, how cool is that?

1107
00:54:59,622 --> 00:55:01,988
ANNOUNCER: For the downlow,
the skinny, and the 41 1

1108
00:55:02,092 --> 00:55:05,994
on how you speak American,
visit us at PBS.ORG

1109
00:55:06,096 --> 00:55:07,324
While you're there, get tips

1110
00:55:07,430 --> 00:55:09,557
for starting
your own PBS program club

1111
00:55:09,666 --> 00:55:11,634
so you can continue
to ''speak American''

1112
00:55:11,735 --> 00:55:13,600
with your friends and family.

1113
00:55:15,605 --> 00:55:19,439
''Do You Speak American?'' is
available on DVD for $69.95,

1114
00:55:19,542 --> 00:55:21,669
or VHS for $59.95.

1115
00:55:21,778 --> 00:55:24,770
A companion book is available
for $24.95 plus shipping.

1116
00:55:24,881 --> 00:55:27,873
To order, call 1 -800-336-1 91 7

1117
00:55:27,984 --> 00:55:30,214
or write to the address
on your screen.

1118
00:56:17,634 --> 00:56:20,535
''Do You Speak American?''
has been made possible, in part,

1119
00:56:20,637 --> 00:56:23,333
by the National Endowment
For The Humanities...

1120
00:56:23,440 --> 00:56:26,807
promoting excellence
in the Humanities.

1121
00:56:26,910 --> 00:56:29,003
Additional funding
is provided by

1122
00:56:29,112 --> 00:56:32,445
the William and Flora
Hewlett Foundation...

1123
00:56:32,549 --> 00:56:34,517
The Ford Foundation...

1124
00:56:34,617 --> 00:56:40,055
Rosalind P. Walter and the
Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.

1125
00:56:42,625 --> 00:56:44,786
<i>I am PBS...</i>