The American Language A Preliminary Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States

"The American Language" by H. L. Mencken is a study about how English in the United States grew into its own distinct language. Written in the early 1900s, the book looks at how American English is different from British English in terms of words, how sentences are put together, how words are said, and how people use language every day. The author,drawing from his life as a writer and editor, noticed that there weren't many books that really looked at these differences. This book aims to fix that by clearly explaining what makes American English special. The beginning talks about what led the author to write the book, pointing out that not enough has been written about the differences between American and British English. He mentions people from the past like Thomas Jefferson and Noah Webster, who thought that a unique American way of speaking would appear, and how American culture and new ideas played a role. Mencken shows how experts have often ignored American slang and everyday language, arguing that we need to understand and accept American English as a real, changing language that's not just British English. This sets the stage for the book to thoroughly look at things like how words are said, slang terms, and how people from other countries have shaped the language.