American Talk: Where Our Words Came From. By J. L. Dillard, Vintage Books, 1977.
 
ISBN:  0394720350
Vintage from the 1970s
 
Dillard's pleasant, meandering book has a double thrust: the sheer fun of word-browsing and the surprise of understanding that we have been as much cultural contributees as contributors. Traces the derivations and histories of distinctively American words and phrases, showing their beginnings in America's multilingual background, favorite national vices, and serendipitous occupations, and arguing their Western origins and subsequent movement eastward.
 
Joey Lee Dillard (1924–2009) was an American linguist known for his work on African American Vernacular English.
 
Softcover. Secure binding with clean pages and light cover wear.