The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way

Bill Bryson

Dec 2015 · HarperAudio · Narrated by Stephen McLaughlin

About this audiobook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Let the venerable Bill Bryson be your tour guide through all the neighborhoods and back alleys of the English Language. You'll be entertained for hours! Some references are a bit dated, with an original publication date of 1990, but that doesn't take away from how splendid this work is overall. If you have tendencies to be judgmental of others about their English grammar and usage, consume this book and be completely humbled by how the "rules" of English are inconsistent and ever evolving. You'll feel less judgmental in the end, and you'll feel better about that.

Great book Mr Bryson... only one pet peeve so far... In a fuel-injection vehicle, stepping on the pedal opens a valve for more air to enter the engine,. The computer adjusts for fuel in a fuel-infected car... so.... "stepping on the gas" refers to allowing more air (gas) for acceleration, not fuel. So it is perfectly fine for the British to use that phrase even though they call fuel petrol.

Fascinating

About the author

Bill Bryson's bestselling books include One Summer, A Short History of Nearly Everything, At Home, A Walk in the Woods, Neither Here nor There, Made in America, and The Mother Tongue. He lives in England with his wife.