«Some people say scohn, while others say schown. He says bath, while she says bahth. You say potayto. I say potahto And—wait a second, no one says potahto. No one's ever said potahto. Have they? From reconstructing Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of Received Pronunciation, actor Ben Crystal and his linguist father David travel the world in search of the stories of spoken English. Everyone has an accent, though many of us think we don't. We all have our likes and dislikes about the way other people speak, and everyone has something to say about «correct» pronunciation. But how did all these accents come about, and why do people feel so strongly about them? Are regional accents dying out as English becomes a global language? Witty, authoritative, and jam-packed full of fascinating facts, You Say Potato is a celebration of the myriad ways in which the English language is spoken—and how our accents, in so many ways, speak louder than words.»

Everyone has an accent, though many of us think we don't. We do have our likes and dislikes about the way other people speak, and everyone has something to say about 'correct' pronunciation. But where did all these accents come from, and why do people feel so strongly about them? Are regional accents dying out in Britain, Australia and the United States as the English language becomes globalized? And perhaps most importantly of all: what went wrong in Birmingham? From reconstructing Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of Received Pronunciation, You Say Potato travels the world in search of the stories of spoken English. Actor Ben Crystal explores the world of stage, screen and popular culture, while linguist David Crystal explains the history and mechanics of what is taking place right under our very ears. The generation gap between father and son introduces a unique double perspective, bringing this book neatly to older and younger readers alike. Witty, authoritative and jam-packed full of fascinating facts, You Say Potato is a celebration of the myriad ways in which the English language is spoken — and why our accents often speak louder than words.