Name: The Mother Tongue
ISBN: 9780380715435

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Language, With Laughs

Follow English through its oddities and resilience in a history that pairs insight with wit.

Come here for

The curious history and eccentricities of English
A witty look at how language works

Expect

Scholarly detail with an entertaining touch
Stories spanning speech, swearing, and English’s growth

Book Details

Authors: Bill Bryson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: October 23, 2001
Format: Print & ebook
Theme: Historical Linguistics · Sociolinguistics
Reading lane: Historical Linguistics

Affinity

Publisher Categories

History Resources
World History
Social History
Humor Essays

Show all 8 publisher categories

Humor & Trivia
Creative Writing
Historical Linguistics
Psycholinguistics

About This Book

“Vastly informative and vastly entertaining…A scholarly and fascinating book.” — Los Angeles Times With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson 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 peasant...

Read full description

“Vastly informative and vastly entertaining…A scholarly and fascinating book.” — Los Angeles Times With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson 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.