Book description
Though we speak English as a nation, it's no secret that America is
far from uniform. Spanish, in particular, has long been touted as the
language that will figure into our national future; much has been
written about the need to recognize it in our laws and schools.
Yet billing America as a bilingual country is a gross
misrepresentation. They speak Basque in Nevada, Hindi in San Jose, and
Gullah in South Carolina. We speak European, Asian, and Native
American languages, as well as hybrids like Creole and Spanglish. And
Elizabeth Little's home--Queens, New York--is among the most
ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse places on the planet.
Small surprise, then, that Little felt a yearning to find the
cultural and linguistic soul of the country. And she has done it in
the most American way imaginable: on a road trip.
This book is the result: a festive roadmap of the bounties of our
country. We'll learn about the struggle of the French-speaking
population of Maine to get along with the community around them; the
traditional ways of the German-speaking Amish in Pennsylvania; and the
rich history of the little-known African population of Nantucket.
Elizabeth Little is a witty and endearing tourguide for this memorable
and original trip.
An entertaining and enlightening book from a brainy, foul-mouthed and
very funny tour guide.
Elizabeth Little is the author of
Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic. A
Harvard graduate with a degree in Social Studies, she has formal
training in Ancient Greek, Classical Chinese, Standard Mandarin,
French, and Italian. She is currently a freelance writer and editor
and lives in Los Angeles. Her website is
http://www.
elizabeth-little. com.
