Status
Available
Call number
Library's review
Indeholder "List of Illustrations", "Acknowledgements", "Introduction", "1. The Mayflower and Before", "2. Becoming Americans", "3. A "Democratic Phrenzy": America in the Age of Revolution", "4. Making a Nation", "5. By the Dawn's Early Light: Forging a National Identity", "6. We're in the Money:
"List of Illustrations" handler om ???
"Acknowledgements" handler om ???
"Introduction" handler om ???
"1. The Mayflower and Before" handler om ???
"2. Becoming Americans" handler om ???
"3. A "Democratic Phrenzy": America in the Age of Revolution" handler om ???
"4. Making a Nation" handler om ???
"5. By the Dawn's Early Light: Forging a National Identity" handler om ???
"6. We're in the Money: The Age of Invention" handler om ???
"7. Names" handler om ???
"8. "Manifest Destiny": Taming the West" handler om ???
"9. The Melting Pot: Immigration in America" handler om ???
"10. When the Going was Good: Travel in America" handler om ???
"11. What's Cooking?: Eating in America" handler om ???
"12. Democratizing Luxury: Shopping in America" handler om ???
"13. Manners and Other Matters" handler om ???
"14. The Hard Sell: Advertising in America" handler om ???
"15. The Movies" handler om ???
"16. The Pursuit of Pleasure: Sport and Play" handler om ???
"17. Of Bombs and Bunkum: Politics and War" handler om ???
"18. Sex and Other Distractions" handler om ???
"19. The Road from Kitty Hawk" handler om ???
"20. Welcome to the Space Age: The 1950s and Beyond" handler om ???
"21. American English Today" handler om ???
"Notes" handler om fodnoterne til hvert kapitel.
"Select bibliography" handler om nogle af kilderne til bogen.
"Index" er et opslagsregister.
???
Show More
The Age of Invention", "7. Names", "8. "Manifest Destiny": Taming the West", "9. The Melting Pot: Immigration in America", "10. When the Going was Good: Travel in America", "11. What's Cooking?: Eating in America", "12. Democratizing Luxury: Shopping in America", "13. Manners and Other Matters", "14. The Hard Sell: Advertising in America", "15. The Movies", "16. The Pursuit of Pleasure: Sport and Play", "17. Of Bombs and Bunkum: Politics and War", "18. Sex and Other Distractions", "19. The Road from Kitty Hawk", "20. Welcome to the Space Age: The 1950s and Beyond", "21. American English Today", "Notes on sources", "Notes", "Select bibliography", "Index"."List of Illustrations" handler om ???
"Acknowledgements" handler om ???
"Introduction" handler om ???
"1. The Mayflower and Before" handler om ???
"2. Becoming Americans" handler om ???
"3. A "Democratic Phrenzy": America in the Age of Revolution" handler om ???
"4. Making a Nation" handler om ???
"5. By the Dawn's Early Light: Forging a National Identity" handler om ???
"6. We're in the Money: The Age of Invention" handler om ???
"7. Names" handler om ???
"8. "Manifest Destiny": Taming the West" handler om ???
"9. The Melting Pot: Immigration in America" handler om ???
"10. When the Going was Good: Travel in America" handler om ???
"11. What's Cooking?: Eating in America" handler om ???
"12. Democratizing Luxury: Shopping in America" handler om ???
"13. Manners and Other Matters" handler om ???
"14. The Hard Sell: Advertising in America" handler om ???
"15. The Movies" handler om ???
"16. The Pursuit of Pleasure: Sport and Play" handler om ???
"17. Of Bombs and Bunkum: Politics and War" handler om ???
"18. Sex and Other Distractions" handler om ???
"19. The Road from Kitty Hawk" handler om ???
"20. Welcome to the Space Age: The 1950s and Beyond" handler om ???
"21. American English Today" handler om ???
"Notes" handler om fodnoterne til hvert kapitel.
"Select bibliography" handler om nogle af kilderne til bogen.
"Index" er et opslagsregister.
???
Show Less
Publication
London : Minerva, 1995, c1994.
Description
Essays. Language Arts. Nonfiction. Humor (Nonfiction.) HTML: "A literate exploration of why we useâ??or mangleâ??our native tongue."â??USA Today Bill Bryson celebrates America's magnificent offspring in the book that reveals once and for all how a dusty western hamlet with neither woods nor holly came to be known as Hollywood...and exactly why Mr. Yankee Doodle call his befeathered cap "Macaro
User reviews
LibraryThing member jordanc
Entertaining book. I like the digressions he takes as much as the actual histrory of the language in America. There are times when he seems to make a point of unraveling some of Americans' myths about themselves, but I suppose that's to be expected from an expat.
LibraryThing member OscarWilde87
In Made in America Bill Bryson traces the origin of a variety of Americanisms. The chapters are structured in chronological fashion starting with the Mayflower and the beginning of what was to become the United States of America. On its way to present day America, the book touches upon topics such
While the book is overall quite logically structured, a chapter in itself often appears to be a collection of observations that are ordered in anecdotal fashion more than anything else. Bryson seems to have struggled in filtering the information he wanted to use for his book and this makes the reading of some chapters a bit tedious. While there is generally a wide range of information, depth is neglected at some points. This is not to say that Bryson did a bad job in writing the book, but for me, the lack of depth at certain points definitely took away from an otherwise very interesting reading experience.
For someone interested in languages and their development, this book is not a bad choice. As I love the study of languages and as I am very interested in American English Made in America promised to be a great read for me. I have read Bryson before and while I do not agree with him on everything and while I do not always like his humor, I like his books generally very much. However, Made in America was, despite my interest in the topic, just an average read. While some chapters were highly interesting and very well written, others lacked in quality. On the whole, a three star read.
Show More
as money and finances, Native Americans and immigration, the concept of the frontier, shopping, food, movies, advertising, the automobile industry, the space race, sex and political correctness.While the book is overall quite logically structured, a chapter in itself often appears to be a collection of observations that are ordered in anecdotal fashion more than anything else. Bryson seems to have struggled in filtering the information he wanted to use for his book and this makes the reading of some chapters a bit tedious. While there is generally a wide range of information, depth is neglected at some points. This is not to say that Bryson did a bad job in writing the book, but for me, the lack of depth at certain points definitely took away from an otherwise very interesting reading experience.
For someone interested in languages and their development, this book is not a bad choice. As I love the study of languages and as I am very interested in American English Made in America promised to be a great read for me. I have read Bryson before and while I do not agree with him on everything and while I do not always like his humor, I like his books generally very much. However, Made in America was, despite my interest in the topic, just an average read. While some chapters were highly interesting and very well written, others lacked in quality. On the whole, a three star read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Bibliotropic
It isn't that often that you can say, "I enjoy history, linguistics, and trivia," and have all your interests addressed and satisfied in the same book. Billy Bryson manages this in Made in America, which is, true to its subtitle, an informal history of the English language in the United
Bryson's engaging style and unfailing humour shine in this book. He breaks down his research into different categories rather than just starting at America's earliest point in history and jumping around from there. Thus, each chapter is fairly well self-contained, and it's easy to look up a fact or idea just from the chapter categories rather than trying to remember where in America's history something occurred.
I say "fairly well" self-contained because there are a few problems with this system, most notably in the inconsistancy Bryson has in bringing up facts that he already mentioned in previous chapters. He does his best to make sure that the earlier chapter gets the detailed explanation, and the problem doesn't lie so much in no explanation at all but rather in getting the explanation repeated.
Still, as this doesn't happen incredibly often, it's easy to overlook so that the rest of the book can be enjoyed without problem.
With great style and wit, Bryson accomplishes what so many teachers cannot - he makes history, and language, intensely interesting. This is one book that comes with a high recommendation from me. It's not for everyone, but anyone with an interest in history or linguistics will find something to appreciate. In this book, you'll learn things that you weren't even aware that you didn't know.
Show More
States.Bryson's engaging style and unfailing humour shine in this book. He breaks down his research into different categories rather than just starting at America's earliest point in history and jumping around from there. Thus, each chapter is fairly well self-contained, and it's easy to look up a fact or idea just from the chapter categories rather than trying to remember where in America's history something occurred.
I say "fairly well" self-contained because there are a few problems with this system, most notably in the inconsistancy Bryson has in bringing up facts that he already mentioned in previous chapters. He does his best to make sure that the earlier chapter gets the detailed explanation, and the problem doesn't lie so much in no explanation at all but rather in getting the explanation repeated.
Still, as this doesn't happen incredibly often, it's easy to overlook so that the rest of the book can be enjoyed without problem.
With great style and wit, Bryson accomplishes what so many teachers cannot - he makes history, and language, intensely interesting. This is one book that comes with a high recommendation from me. It's not for everyone, but anyone with an interest in history or linguistics will find something to appreciate. In this book, you'll learn things that you weren't even aware that you didn't know.
Show Less
LibraryThing member vicarofdibley
bill gets his kicks on route 66 if he was female and organised his books wouldn't be so funny but bless him he's male disorganised and american of course things go wrong
LibraryThing member goodnightmoon
Fascinating and funny. You will learn at least 100 new trivia items, and you will want to share them (it makes for very slow reading).
LibraryThing member mmh166
Amazingly good history of the nuances of American English that make it the odd-ball language that it is.
LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
As an English language teacher, this is precisely the fuel my mind sometimes needs to keep me interested in all the nuances of language. "Made in America" is like a biography of a language - American English - and investigates how many of its expressions and words came to be.
For instance, I had no
For instance, I had no
Show More
idea that the original British English word was 'aluminum,' and that the extra i to make it more Latinised was only introduced when the word hopped across the pond. Fascinating! Show Less
LibraryThing member zojo
Just finished this for the second time, it's amazing how much you forget in a few years. I'll be telling the story of the Jerusalem artichoke at every given opportunity! Bryson is one of my favourite writers and I will keep going back to his books for ever!
LibraryThing member mashcan
This is the story of the American version of the English language. Very entertaining and full of fantastic facts and trivia.
LibraryThing member jakesgirl2
I absolutely LOVE this book and have read and reread it many times. I was a Linguistics and English major in college but beyond that, I have had friends borrow the book and LOVE it despite the fact they had never previously been interested in this type of subject matter before. Bryson uses humor
Show More
and story telling to make this book such an enjoyable read Show Less
LibraryThing member skinglist
Usually I like Bryson quite a bit, but I struggled with this book. I wanted to know how and why American English ended up as it did, but I found this read too much like a text book than a pleasure book. I love linguistics and text books, I'm a word geek, but on holidat at the beach was not the time
Show More
for this book so off it goes. I think I have a copy at home, otherwise I'll scare up another copy when I'm in a more cerebral frame of mind. For now, it's about the chick lit. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jaylia3
Funny, interesting and informative. One fact that sticks with me is that every town in America had its own time until the railroad decided clock time needed to be standardized. What that has to do with American English I don't remember, but that's how Bryson's writing is--there are lots of
Show More
fascinating side stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
Have you ever wondered about the origins of Americanisms such as "lunch" and "cafeteria"? Or maybe you're interested in words that originated from the movies or sports. Bill Bryson gives you a whirlwind tour of all this and more in his "informal history of the English language in the United
Beginning with the Pilgrims and making his way through both chronologically and thematically to recent times, Bryson has a way of highlighting the humorous aspects of history and linguistic quirkiness of our language. Some of interesting tidbits (note: a word that was originally "titbits" and changed in order to be less offensive) I learned included:
--Englishmen bemoaning Americanisms entering the language is nothing new
--the Pilgrims had three or four different names and types of mush
--during the American Revolution, people were not unconcerned with spelling, but merely had more variants to choose from (and even argue about!)
I'll have about as much fun recommending this book as I did reading it!
Show More
States."Beginning with the Pilgrims and making his way through both chronologically and thematically to recent times, Bryson has a way of highlighting the humorous aspects of history and linguistic quirkiness of our language. Some of interesting tidbits (note: a word that was originally "titbits" and changed in order to be less offensive) I learned included:
--Englishmen bemoaning Americanisms entering the language is nothing new
--the Pilgrims had three or four different names and types of mush
--during the American Revolution, people were not unconcerned with spelling, but merely had more variants to choose from (and even argue about!)
I'll have about as much fun recommending this book as I did reading it!
Show Less
LibraryThing member jellyneckz
This book had more U.S. history than I expected. It was a REALLY slow read and it took me a long time to finish it. I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoy most of Bryson's travel writing but I learned a lot from reading it.
LibraryThing member fakelvis
In typical Bryson style, Made in America is a comprehensive look at the evolution of American English and the culture surrounding much of the evolution.
However, unlike his travel books or A Brief History, this book struggled to captivate me. I blame the many lists of words that are present in the
A pity. This is Bryson's only book that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed, nay, loved!
However, unlike his travel books or A Brief History, this book struggled to captivate me. I blame the many lists of words that are present in the
Show More
book (I occasionally skipped pages at a time) and the fact that this book caters for an American audience, not a general audience.A pity. This is Bryson's only book that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed, nay, loved!
Show Less
LibraryThing member ElizabethBengtson
Historical background of language and word development. Word transformation from date of the Mayflower to current times. It shows a developing cultures influence by Europe, American Indians, a new world and way of living. Specific cultural areas such as the development of money, department stores,
Show More
travel and the open road, manners, cooking, sex and other distractions. Show Less
LibraryThing member yukon92
it is fun way to learn and understand more about the American English language. Bryson is a great writer!
LibraryThing member Polaris-
This was an entertaining and generally informative read. Bryson explores in his likeable way the development of American English from the first English speaking colonists up to the debate surrounding the emergence of 'political correctness' in the 1990s. The book is nearly 20 years old now - but
Full of quirky titbits (or should that be tidbits...?) and nuggets of suprising trivia, this is both easy and enjoyable reading. Don't expect an academic and comprehensive lingusitic study - this is far more relaxed than that. Subjects as diverse as commerce, sex, the car, and the space age are covered. Bryson's warm style is appealing and I will continue to turn to his books whenever the mood takes me. You pretty much know what you're getting with him and that's no bad thing.
Show More
that doesn't spoil it at all, except that the new language of the internet era hasn't reared its head...Full of quirky titbits (or should that be tidbits...?) and nuggets of suprising trivia, this is both easy and enjoyable reading. Don't expect an academic and comprehensive lingusitic study - this is far more relaxed than that. Subjects as diverse as commerce, sex, the car, and the space age are covered. Bryson's warm style is appealing and I will continue to turn to his books whenever the mood takes me. You pretty much know what you're getting with him and that's no bad thing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
Made in America has multiple personalities. It could be seen as a classification of American etymology, a short history of American culture, a collection of forgotten trivia, a handbook of conversation starters, a joke book of humor, or as most people see it, all of the above. The inside cover of
Show More
Made in America sums up the book perfectly, "Bryson's is a unique history, not only of American words, but of America through words." Show Less
LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
Classic Bryson. While the ostensible subject is American English, he uses both historical and cultural approaches to expose the reader to an incredible amount of information that at least this reader finds fascinating.
LibraryThing member amaraduende
Bill Bryson ROCKS. This book is so interesting. I swear I don't have a single conversation without saying (at LEAST once) "well in bill bryson's book ____ he says that..."
LibraryThing member danoomistmatiste
A very interesting compendium of classic Americana. Highly recommended and certainly not to be missed.
LibraryThing member Sandydog1
This is or seems to be, a long book - stay with it and read in small bits. And it's not just about linguistics. There's a lot of USA history here. And, it's the real history a la Howard Zinn or James Loewen. This is witty, academic Bryson at his best, not cheap, curmudgeonly traveler Bryson.
LibraryThing member MiaCulpa
If the author hadn't been Bill Bryson I may not have picked "Made in America" up. This is one of Bryson's lesser works (although his lesser works are still infinitely preferable to many authors' best works), covering how the English language has been shaped by America, from the Pilgrims to twenty
Show More
years ago, when "Made in America" was published. Show Less
LibraryThing member untraveller
A very good book with lots and lots of trivia.....so much, in fact, that there is no point in trying to remember much of it....just enjoy it! I think it becomes patently clear when reading Bryson’s books that he preferred life elsewhere for any number of reasons, many of which see the light of
Show More
day in this book. Tis a good companion to Mother Tongue which I read 25 or so years ago. There is a bit more historical narrative in the book than is really necessary, unless done for the American culturally deprived (which would include a majority of U.S. citizens). Finished 23.04.2020 in Malta during the plague. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1994-07-04
Physical description
xv, 478 p.; 19.8 cm
ISBN
074939739X / 9780749397395
Local notes
Omslag: Button Design Co.
Omslagsbilleder: Archer Quinell
Omslaget viser et amerikansk flag med burgere og den slags som striberne og stemplet "Made In America"
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
This Minerva edition published 1995 by Mandarin Paperbacks an imprint of Reed International Books Ltd.
Omslagsbilleder: Archer Quinell
Omslaget viser et amerikansk flag med burgere og den slags som striberne og stemplet "Made In America"
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
This Minerva edition published 1995 by Mandarin Paperbacks an imprint of Reed International Books Ltd.
Similar in this library
Pages
xv; 478
DDC/MDS
| 420 |