The Mother Tongue - English And How It Got That Way

by Bill Bryson

Audiobook, 1990

Description

With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson-the acclaimed author of The Lost Continent-brilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language. From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can't), to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson tells the fascinating, often uproarious story of an inadequate, second-rate tongue of peasants that developed into one of the world's largest growth industries.

Library's rating

½

Library's review

A good overview of how english cam to be. It gets lost in the weeds at times and feels like a series of magazine articles that have been stretched into a book. Still it moves quickly enough that it is still interesting.

Tags

Collection

Original publication date

1990

Physical description

272 p.; 5.31 inches

ISBN

0380715430 / 9780380715435
Page: 0.7001 seconds