The Mother Tongue (book)
Encyclopedia
The Mother Tongue is a book by Bill Bryson
which compiles the history and origins of the English language
and the language's various quirks. It is subtitled English And How It Got That Way. The book discusses the Indo-European
origins of English, the growing status of English as a global language, the complex etymology
of English words, the dialect
s of English, spelling
reform, prescriptive grammar, and more minor topics including swearing
. Bryson's account is a popularization of the subject, designed to entertain as well as to inform, and the book is sprinkled with trivia and language lore.
This book has also been published in Great Britain by Penguin Books
under the title Mother Tongue: The English Language (ISBN 0-14-014305-X).
Bryson has since followed up this work with Made in America
.
Bill Bryson
William McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE, is a best-selling American author of humorous books on travel, as well as books on the English language and on science. Born an American, he was a resident of Britain for most of his adult life before moving back to the US in 1995...
which compiles the history and origins of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and the language's various quirks. It is subtitled English And How It Got That Way. The book discusses the Indo-European
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
origins of English, the growing status of English as a global language, the complex etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of English words, the dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s of English, spelling
Spelling
Spelling is the writing of one or more words with letters and diacritics. In addition, the term often, but not always, means an accepted standard spelling or the process of naming the letters...
reform, prescriptive grammar, and more minor topics including swearing
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
. Bryson's account is a popularization of the subject, designed to entertain as well as to inform, and the book is sprinkled with trivia and language lore.
This book has also been published in Great Britain by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
under the title Mother Tongue: The English Language (ISBN 0-14-014305-X).
Bryson has since followed up this work with Made in America
Made In America (book)
Made In America is a nonfiction book by Bill Bryson describing the history of the English language in the United States and the evolution of American culture....
.
External links
- The Mother Tongue on Google Books (preview)