Why is the English spoken by Maine lobstermen so different from the English spoken by Texas cowboys? What constitutes "standard English" in the U.S. today? Will Spanish displace English altogether? And how is English linked to issues of race, gender, and class? In this three-part series, celebrated journalist and writer Robert MacNeil travels from north to south, east to west, to answer these and other sociolinguistic questions as he studies the ongoing evolution of American English- a language rich in regional variety, strong in global impact, and steeped in cultural controversy. Do You Speak American? -a follow-up to MacNeil’s award-winning The Story of English -is an instant classic.