Bill bryson is known for his acerbic wit and sarcastic sense of humor. He has worked for a number of newspapers, including the times and the independent. American expatriate to britain bryson proves a witty and knowing guide here, with scarcely a trace of the sneer that spoiled his popular tour of smalltown america, the lost continent 1989. Oct 23, 2001 with dazzling wit and astonishing insight, bill brysonthe acclaimed author of the lost continentbrilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the english language. Where words come from if you have a morbid fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, there is. The book discusses the indoeuropean origins of english, the growing status of english as a global language, the complex etymology of english. His father was william bryson and his mother, agnes mary was of irish origin or descent. Although bill bryson published this book in 1990 and much more research has been done in this area since that time, the mother tongue is still a delightful look at the mysteries and peculiarities of the. Bill bryson is the new york times bestselling author of at home, a walk in the woods, the lost continent, made in america,the mother tongue, a short history of nearly everything winner of the. After nearly 2 decades in britain, bill bryson, the acclaimed author of such best sellers as the mother tongue, made in america, and a walk in the woods, decided it was time to move back to the united states for a while. Bill bryson is the new york times bestselling author of at home, a walk in the woods, the lost continent, made in america,the mother tongue, a short history of nearly everything winner of the aventis prize and various other works. The book covers speech from a historical view, a physical view, an environmental view, a. I was frequently laughing outloud while reading the mother tongue not to mention muttering words under my breath to hear the pronunciation points that bryson was making.
Bill bryson s classic mother tongue is a highly readable and hilarious tale of how english came to be the worlds language. From the first descent of the larynx into the throat why you can talk but your dog cant, to the fine lost art of swearing, bryson. Dec 15, 2015 with dazzling wit and astonishing insight, bill brysonthe acclaimed author of the lost continentbrilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the english language. Bill brysons bestselling books include a walk in the woods, the life and times of the thunderbolt kid, and a short history of nearly everything which won the aventis prize in britain and the descartes. Where words come from if you have a morbid fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, there is a word for it. Bill bryson s bestselling books include a walk in the woods, the life and times of the thunderbolt kid, and a short history of nearly everything which won the aventis prize in britain and the descartes prize, the european unions highest literary. Instead, a gentle humor, enamored of oddities, warms his discussion of the origins of english, its. He also has a sister named mary jane elizabeth and an elder brother named michael. The book covers speech from a historical view, a physical view, an environmental view, a utilitarian view, and many other views.
He mainly writes travel memoirs, but has also written a few books on other topics, like the english language the mother tongue and. He has worked for a number of newspapers, including the times and the. Its the sort of book that fills your head with all sorts of random trivia that must be shared at the next watercooler conversation or over ones next meal. In late summer, they met to discuss bill brysons the mother tongue william morrow, 1990, a funfactpacked, boisterous embrace of the english language and its history. Originally posted by bill bryson in the mother tongue, p. Rediscovering america on the appalachian trail is a 1998 autobiographical book by travel writer bill bryson, describing his attempt to walk the appalachian trail with his friend stephen katz. Bill bryson bio, age, wife, daughter, books, australia and. Oct 01, 2009 bill bryson was born in des moines, iowa, and grew up there, but has spent most of his adult life in britain. Youll learn how, thanks to its flexibility and adaptability, english has endured and flourished, despite centuries of invasions, uprisings and censorship.
The mother tongue the mother tongue audiobook, by bill bryson. Bill bryson audio books bill bryson is the new york times bestselling author of at home, a walk in the woods, the lost continent, made in america, the mother tongue, a short history of nearly. Bryson packages his short history of private life into a sort of rambling tour around the rooms of his home, a mid 19th century former church of england rectory in a norfolk village. Penguin books, 1990 link is to a different, inprint edition. This american writer has lived for many years in england. Although amazon lists a 2015 publication date for the kindle edition, this is clearly a much older book most of the references and examples seem to be no more recent than the mid80s and seems to be. Includes bibliographical references published by arrangement with william morrow and company, inc the worlds language the dawn of language global language the first thousand.
I bought this book as im a fan of bill brysons writing and i find language an interesting subject. The two are quite different, as is pointed out several times in the book. With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, bill brysonthe acclaimed author of the lost continentbrilliantly explores the. Bill bryson is an american journalist who has lived for long periods in england, which means that he is in a good position to write a book about english that takes account of both versions and the subtle and notsosubtle differences between them, which is what he has.
Bill bryson covers language its self with a focus on english. There is a word to describe the state of being a woman. Bill brysons 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. English, like spanish and portuguese, is a language that has two closely linked forms, one in the old world, one in the new. Bill brysons classic mother tongue is a highly readable and hilarious tale of how english came to be the worlds language. Rediscovering america on the appalachian trail is a 1998 autobiographical book by travel writer bill bryson, describing his attempt to walk the appalachian trail with his friend stephen. If you find the tape version, you will want to play the tape over again as it cruses through many concepts that leave you thinking and speculating how it. He mainly writes travel memoirs, but has also written a few books on other topics, like the english language the mother tongue and shakespeare shakespeare.
The mother tongue isbn 0380715430 is a book by bill bryson which compiles the history and origins of the english language and its various quirks. From the first descent of the larynx into the throat why you can talk but your dog. Bill bryson audio books bill bryson is the new york times bestselling author of at home, a walk in the woods, the lost continent, made in america, the mother tongue, a short history of nearly everything winner of the aventis prizeand various other works. Born in des moines, iowa, he now lives in england with his wife and children. Unfortunately, its not about english english, but american english. The mother tongue by bill bryson overdrive rakuten. Jun 02, 2015 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. Bill bryson was born in des moines, iowa, and grew up there, but has spent most of his adult life in britain. English and how it got that way the mother tongue by bill bryson the mother tongue 1990 provides a unique and personal look at the history of the english language.
Although amazon lists a 2015 publication date for the kindle edition. Bill bryson is the bestselling author of at home, a walk in the woods, the lost continent, made in america, the mother tongue, and a short history of nearly everything, winner of the aventis prize. After nearly 2 decades in britain, bill bryson, the acclaimed author of such best sellers as the mother tongue, made in america, and a walk in the woods, decided it was time to move back to the united. Oct 14, 2009 in late summer, they met to discuss bill brysons the mother tongue william morrow, 1990, a funfactpacked, boisterous embrace of the english language and its history. With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, bill brysonthe acclaimed author of the lost continentbrilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience, and sheer fun of the english language. His books on the english language include mother tongue and troublesome words, both published by penguin. American expatriate to britain bryson proves a witty and knowing guide here, with scarcely a trace of the sneer. I bought this book as im a fan of bill bryson s writing and i find language an interesting subject. A merry and bright baedeker to the english language, its history, character, and probable future.
This amusing and informative book surveys the history of the english language and all its vagaries and perplexities of word origins, spellings, and pronunciations and why it has become so successful as a world. The book is written in a humorous style, interspersed with more serious discussions of matters relating to the trails history, and. Language, never forget, is more fashion than science, and matters of usage, spelling and pronunciation tend to wander around like hemlines. I am a big bill bryson fan, i often say that the guy can write about anything and make it interesting. 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. Everyone has his say about bill brysons the mother tongue. In 2006 bryson was blessed to publish another book called the life and times of the thunderbolt kid. Includes bibliographical references published by arrangement with william morrow and company, inc the worlds language the dawn of language global language the first thousand years where words come from pronunciation varieties of english spelling good english and bad order out of chaos old world, new world english as a world language names swearing.
Jan 21, 2020 the best american travel writing 2016. With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, bill brysonthe acclaimed author of the lost continentbrilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the. Born in des moines, iowa, bryson lives in england with his wife and children. Its all about how english came to be the way it is and why its one of the most used languages.