The impact of American English, rich with regional variety, is felt in every field: popular culture, arts and literature, science and technology, medicine and politics. It's the language of international industry, Wall Street, the Pentagon, the space shuttle and, of course, the Internet. Journalist and author Robert MacNeil zigzags cross-country to explore how Americans use the language today, how it's developing and how people feel about it. The audience hears Americans in all their glory, talking their talk ... from presidents to snowboarders, society matrons to rap artists, radio DJs to teenagers at the mall.

The impact of American English, rich with regional variety, is felt in every field: popular culture, arts and literature, science and technology, medicine and politics. It's the language of international industry, Wall Street, the Pentagon, the space shuttle and, of course, the Internet. Journalist and author Robert MacNeil zigzags cross-country to explore how Americans use the language today, how it's developing and how people feel about it. In this special you'll hear Americans in all their glory, talking their talk ... from presidents to snowboarders, from society matrons to rap artists, from radio disc jockeys to teenagers at the mall.

Encore broadcast Fridays, November 9-23, 2007, 10-00-11:00 p.m. ET