The Book Nook Chronicles

The People’s Tongue: Americans and the English Language was a rash decision made in a bookstore. I was looking for a book with a brown cover to complete my Reading Rainbow Reading Challenge of 2023. I read the title and said, “yep!” without even realizing I had just committed to an anthology. I would never recommend reading an anthology cover-to-cover, but I’m stubborn and did it, so now you don’t have to! Ilan Stavans takes a unique approach to this anthology and breaks the development of English in the United States into three parts.

Part I, Landing Mode (1581-1919), has an overarching theme of how America made English its own creation and the belief that the English language will transcend time in the way French and Greek did before it. Part II, Fly Me to the Moon (1919-1982), focuses more on how different cultural dialects like African American English, Yiddish, and Spanglish, have created the American English we know and love. Part III, The Ruckus of Polyphony (1987-2022), highlights how–even in the 21st century–immigrants are still on the outside looking in, othered, until they learn the unofficial language of the U.S.
Each part contains entries from people good and bad; dull and entertaining. It’s a melting pot of everyone who has built the United States of America over the last 247 years.

I’ve selected my favorite and least favorite entries from each part and hope you check them out during your spare time–or better yet, get your own copy of The People’s Tongue and pick out your favorites!

Part I’s Best and Worst

Best

“Indian Names” by Lydia Huntley Sigourney (pg. 62-64)

A beautiful poem about the many Indian names that live on in locations throughout the United States and the harrowing treatment of Native American people.

Worst

from “Kill the Indian, Save the Man” by Richard Henry Pratt (pg. 105)

Richard (let’s call him Dick) Pratt writes about his theory that teaching Native Americans English will “civilize” them, using African Americans (many of whom were slaves at the time) as an example of how it can be done. It’s gross. I hated it. Don’t read it.

Part II’s Best and Worst

Best

“Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” by Thomas Wolfe (pg. 158-163)

A fantastic interpretation of the Brooklyn accent tied into an eerie short story.

Worst

Introduction to William Strunk’s The Elements of Style by E.B. White (pg. 175-180)

I actually thoroughly enjoyed this entry as a style nerd, but for the average reader it’s quite dense in comparison to the other sections in part II.

Part III’s Best and Worst

Best

“On His Deafness” by Robert F. Panara (pg. 304)

While one of the shortest entries in this entire anthology, this poem is a poignant love letter to the written word through the eyes of a deaf man.

Worst

“CNN” by Donald J. Trump (pg. 415-424)

This is nine whole pages of Trump’s tweets, with “Fake News” typed out over 75 times from start to finish. I never needed to (or wanted to) relive that moment in history. Read at your own risk.

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Erica’s Experience

Title: The People’s Tongue: Americans and the English Language

Author: Ilan Stavans (Editor)

Genre: Anthology

Page Count: 436

Publication Date: February 14, 2023