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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The first two thirds or so of this book was fantastic--spell-binding--"bore your family around the dinner table" interesting--and made me wish I had a hard copy for reference and, well, keeping. In the last third, Bragg seemed to lose his narrative thrust through history and doubled back (it seemed) to look at Australia and India--both fascinating areas of development, but somehow the power of the book had waned a bit. It could easily have been due to the odd lack of measurement in an audio: I never know how many more pages or chapters are left, so my sense of pacing gets lost. The narrator was spectacularly good, so it wasn't his fault. Still, I'd recommend this for anyone who's interested in how English got "that way": it has helped me realized that "that way" never has, and never will, remain/ed static.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
A very good book about the development of English although it does lose its vigour in the final chapter by mainly focussing on nouns added to the language.
However, it is good starting point for everyone who likes to know more about English linguistics and philology.
However, it is good starting point for everyone who likes to know more about English linguistics and philology.
what a fun book... also shoutout to the accompanying videos
Let's say 3.5 stars. Yes, the continuous treatment of English as an anthropomorphic entity with a will of its own does kind of wear thin. But there's lots of interesting anecdotes about where words come from (I particularly liked the murky and contested origins of the word 'okay'), pretty decent treatment of English's imperial legacy, and plenty of gentle mocking of those who would point to one way of speaking as "correct". Overall if etymology excites you then check it out, but otherwise it likely won't be of interest.
informative
medium-paced
This is a chronological journey through the origins and significant changes of the English language, beginning as far back as any record is possible and observing the challenges met along the way. Almost lost for several centuries, as French and Latin became the official dialect for politics and religion, it was eventually reclaimed by the monarchy, and, through the loss of many lives, the church itself.
Continually reshaped and fed by its interactions with other cultures, Bragg writes abut English as if it is a living being that will not be tamed. Even though it is one of the most complex languages in the world - mainly due to the incalculable amount of influences, regional varieties and changes it has endured - it has come to be arguably the most influential and now most widely used.
I really enjoyed this whirlwind ride through history, realising how many familiar chapters were turning points for our language as well as our story, and going beyond the shores of Britain to see how the language has spread and grown in its richness through its use in other countries too.
Continually reshaped and fed by its interactions with other cultures, Bragg writes abut English as if it is a living being that will not be tamed. Even though it is one of the most complex languages in the world - mainly due to the incalculable amount of influences, regional varieties and changes it has endured - it has come to be arguably the most influential and now most widely used.
I really enjoyed this whirlwind ride through history, realising how many familiar chapters were turning points for our language as well as our story, and going beyond the shores of Britain to see how the language has spread and grown in its richness through its use in other countries too.
DNF. Just not working for me. I'm not sure if it's the writing like language has a will (which I feel like could work in a pratchettesque style but just isn't here) or the patchiness of the history, but I'm having trouble paying enough attention to follow. Or else something seems off so I'll detour to research it. I know Bryson's mother tongue has plenty of comments about inaccuracy, so I can't vouch if it's a more accurate book, but I certainly found it a more engaging look at a similar subject.