Description

Book Synopsis

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? And most importantly of all: what went wrong in Birmingham?

Witty, authoritative and jam-packed full of fascinati

You Say Potato

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Order before 4pm today for delivery by Sat 20 Dec 2025.

A Paperback by Ben Crystal

5 in stock


    View other formats and editions of You Say Potato by Ben Crystal

    Publisher: Pan Macmillan
    Publication Date: 5/21/2015
    ISBN13: 9781447255468, 978-1447255468
    ISBN10: 1447255461

    Description

    Book Synopsis

    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? And most importantly of all: what went wrong in Birmingham?

    Witty, authoritative and jam-packed full of fascinati

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