All 8 Uses of

demonstrate
in
Do You Speak American?

Voluminously and wittily, and animated by more than a little Anglophobia, Mencken demonstrated that our language began to diverge from the mother tongue almost as soon as the first colonists arrived in North America.†
Chpt Intr.

demonstrated = showed

On the train taking us into the Midland area, Preston demonstrated the research technique he has been using for more than twenty years.†
Chpt 3

Our experience demonstrated once again that American speech is not being homogenized by media influence, but precisely the reverse.†
Chpt 4 *

At the Greyhound bus station, John Baugh demonstrated the technique he's used for years to reveal how Americans react to different ethnic accents.†
Chpt 6

One of the young aces, Jayk Goff, demonstrated some of the most challenging tricks while making comments in the snowboarders' whole new lexicon.†
Chpt 7

He demonstrated this with another experiment, using a still photograph that can be animated by computer to move lips and blink when it talks, as they feed it different voices.†
Chpt 8

But his work demonstrates that there are clear correspondences between individuals, how they look, and preconceptions about how they should sound.†
Chpt 8

demonstrates = shows

William Labov casts a resigned eye on the process: Many older citizens...expend a great deal of effort in demonstrating to their children the illogical character of aren't I, or like as a conjunction.†
Chpt 3

Definitions:

(1) (demonstrate as in: It demonstrates my point.)
to show
The exact meaning of this sense of demonstrate can depend upon its context. For example:
- "I will demonstrate how to throw a Frisbee." -- show how to do something
- "I will demonstrate how much quicker the new computer is than the old one." -- show how something works
- "Her questioned demonstrated that she was listening and thinking deeply about what was said." -- showed to be true or proved
(2) (demonstrate as in: demonstrate to protest)
a public display supporting a cause -- usually joining with others in a political protest