TheCultureoftheUnitedStatesisaWesternculture,andhasbeendevelopingsincelongbeforetheUnitedStatesbecameacountry.TodaytheUnitedStatesisadiverseandmulti-culturalnation.

　　Thetypesoffoodservedathomevarygreatlyanddependupontheregionofthecountryandthefamily'sownculturalheritage.Recentimmigrantstendtoeatfoodsimilartothatoftheircountryoforigin,andAmericanizedversionsoftheseculturalfoods,suchasAmericanChinesecuisineorItalian-Americancuisineofteneventuallyappear.GermancuisinealsohadaprofoundimpactonAmericancuisine,especiallythemid-westerncuisine,withpotatoesandmeatbeingthemosticonicingredientsinbothcuisines.[3]Dishessuchasthehamburger,potroast,bakedhamandhotdogsareexamplesofAmericandishesderivedfromGermancuisine

　　Theprimary,althoughnotofficial,languageoftheUnitedStatesisAmericanEnglish.Accordingtothe2000U.S.Census,morethan97%ofAmericanscanspeakEnglishwell,andfor81%itistheonlylanguagespokenathome.Nearly30millionnativespeakersofSpanishalsoresideintheUS.Therearemorethan300languagesbesidesEnglishwhichcanclaimnativespeakersintheUnitedStates—someofwhicharespokenbytheindigenouspeoples(about150livinglanguages)andotherswhichwereimportedbyimmigrants.AmericanSignLanguage,usedmainlybythedeaf,isalsonativetothecountry.HawaiianisalsoalanguagenativetotheUnitedStates,asitisindigenousnowhereelseexceptinthestateofHawaii.SpanishisthesecondmostcommonlanguageintheUnitedStates,andisoneoftheofficiallanguages,andthemostwidelyspoken,intheU.S.CommonwealthofPuertoRico.

　　TherearefourmajorregionaldialectsintheUnitedStates:northeastern,south,inlandnorth,andmidwestern.TheMidwesternaccent(consideredthe"standardaccent"intheUnitedStates,andanalogousinsomerespectstothereceivedpronunciationelsewhereintheEnglish-speakingworld)extendsfromwhatwereoncethe"MiddleColonies"acrosstheMidwesttothePacificstates.