American Quotes

It appears that the present-day form of African American English is not the inheritance of the period of slavery, but the creation of the second half of the 20th century.

I am now completing research supported by NSF and NEH that is mapping changes in the English language through all of North America, for both mainstream and minority communities.

However, research in the years that followed found that in many of its important features, African American Vernacular English was becoming not less, but more different from other dialects.

But unlike European countries, America has never finished a map of the United States, only the eastern United States is covered and a few spots here and there.

And instead of getting a pepper-and-salt effect, we find very clear and sharp divisions between the dialects of the United States, which are getting more different from each other as time goes on.

An important aspect of the current situation is the strong social reaction against suggestions that the home language of African American children be used in the first steps of learning to read and write.

We focus upon pairs of words very often which are the same in some areas and different in other areas.

The Internet has been a great outlet for storytelling. After all, there are web-based shows that have started online and have then gotten picked up. I think it's a great opportunity for artists to get through the network roadblock. It just allows us another venue to be creative in.

If your potential mate does not have the same perspective that you do then you're going to be lost.

If somebody has never been married, they don't know compromise.

I think that if you start teaching about giving back and helping other people young, that will be a given for your child their whole life.

I grew up at 'All My Children;' I got married, had a daughter and made life-long friends there!

Charity should always be a constant.

'All My Children' taught me a great work ethic; you work so hard on a soap opera!

The whole question of God and what God is, and whether it's a blond guy with a beard, I don't know... I don't know that. Do I believe that there's something greater at work than the sum of humanity? Yeah, I think so.

Steve Martin is one of the most intelligent, well-read human beings that I've ever come across. He is equally as funny off screen as he is on. But he also has a very intellectual side, and he's a really nice human being. We actually become good friends.

So I built my entire career in the United States and that's why it feels like I'm an American actor.

My accent's become a weird hybrid.

I like the Baldwin boys a great deal. Alec is super-smart, super-articulate, almost too smart to be an actor.

I had a vocal coach. It's a sad thing, but I had to hire someone so that I could get my Australian accent back.

I can't find my car keys in the morning. Trying to get out of my house is a nightmare. 'Where's my wallet? Where are my keys? I have to go find a missing person.'

For the most part, the American film market has become very corporatised, even independent film to a degree, and because of the corporate management mentality, they want to take the safe way.

And when you started looking into Roger East, it was almost like he had disappeared from history.

A lot of people think I'm that guy in 'Betsy's Wedding', but I'm not. What it is for me is that, on some level, I connect with the character emotionally.

The thing I love about music is that you can take things that are painful, deep things that hurt you, and you can turn them into something beautiful.

The label doesn't do anything but put your record in the store, that's all they do. And tell you, you don't have a single... and tell you, it's not gonna sell... that's what the label does.

Social situations, for me - it's very natural for me to be an observer. That's where I'm most comfortable. I observe things.

My voice sucks. I don't like the tone.

My backstory is so tedious.

It's so easy to get caught up in your own experiences. They can seem so important. But there are billions and billions of other experiences going on.