Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The Mother Tongue
The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way | Bill Bryson
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. 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.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
megnews
post image
Pickpick

Engaging look at the history and evolution of the English language

Crazeedi I've enjoyed every book I've read by Bryson. Haven't read this one 1y
megnews @Crazeedi I‘m by no means a hiker and am totally out of shape but he inspires you to walk the trail. You feel like you‘re on the journey with him. Very immersive 1y
Crazeedi @megnews yes for sure!! 1y
48 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
MommyWantsToReadHerBook
post image

I usually love Bill Bryson but I'm not so sure about this one. So far he has shown a complete lack of familiarity with the translation industry and machine translation. I'm 99.9% certain his 12 dense, unintelligible pages about Italy were MT. And this is total gibberish - the name is Xhosa, I wouldn't say anyone belongs to the Xhosa tribe (Xhosa people, rather) and I'm asking my one colleague if that word is right. Not super impressed.

ravenlee I found this one rambling and off the mark. Definitely not his best. 2y
Clare-Dragonfly I tried to read this book and hated it. He seems to take the attitude that English is a widespread language due to inherent superior qualities in the language, not colonialism. 2y
MommyWantsToReadHerBook @Clare-Dragonfly yeah and the way he keeps saying "other languages can't do this" when they totally can. I've never known him to be so sloppy - but maybe he always has been and I just didn't realise it ? 2y
See All 7 Comments
MommyWantsToReadHerBook The word in the quote is supposed to be "ndlebezakho". If this fact is so garbled, why should we trust anything else? 2y
Susanita I enjoyed A Walk in the Woods even though at times he was rather snotty, but I think I‘ll skip this one. For an accessible book by an actual linguist, try 2y
BarbaraJean Oh dear. I have a copy of this that I haven‘t read yet. Maybe I won‘t bother! Bryson is very hit or miss with me. Sounds like this one will be a miss. (edited) 2y
MommyWantsToReadHerBook @BarbaraJean yeah I think you can miss this. I was so disappointed as I've generally been a big fan 2y
31 likes7 comments
review
ravenlee
post image
Panpan

Sorry, Bill, but this was a swing and a miss. The scholarship and conclusions were suspect and the humor wasn‘t funny. As a linguistics book this wasn‘t very rigorous (despite lots of citations, which I haven‘t seen before in Bryson‘s books), and as general NF/humor there just wasn‘t much of note. A Walk in the Woods stayed much fresher; not once in this book did I LOL. If you‘re looking for books on language there are far better choices.

quote
ravenlee
post image

The Hobbit trilogy? I‘ve never heard it called that; I‘ve always encountered The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Is this an outdated reference?

Also, I find nothing surprising about Tolkien being very interested in dialects and their preservation. I don‘t consider myself particularly knowledgeable about Tolkien, but maybe more so than Bryson is/was. 🤷🏻‍♀️

wanderinglynn I‘ve never heard it called that. There‘s The Hobbit and the the LOTR trilogy. So together that‘s 4 books. Unless he is considering the 3 main works of Middle Earth as the Hobbit trilogy: (1) the Hobbit; (2) the LOTR as one book (with 3 volumes), & (3) The Silmarillion. (edited) 3y
TheAromaofBooks This book was an odd one for me. I really like Bryson and enjoy his overall humorous tone, but there were several things he said that I was like... that doesn't sound quite right... which kind of made me question all of his research for the whole book lol 3y
Clare-Dragonfly I tried to read this book. I was very excited about it. But just… no. 3y
ravenlee @TheAromaofBooks @Clare-Dragonfly I am really struggling. The dated information, the cited-but-still-kinda-suspect data/conclusions…I love linguistics (why I bought this once upon a time in the first place) and I‘ve enjoyed some Bryson in the past, but this one is not coming easily. 3y
30 likes4 comments
quote
ravenlee
post image

I knew this book was old (1990) when I started reading, but having the Soviet Union and West Germany mentioned on a single page - both as current entities - really brought me to a screeching halt.

BookDadGirlDad Old = 1990. I must be completely prehistoric being born in 1968.🤣🤣🤣🤣 3y
wanderinglynn @BookDadGirlDad I was thinking the same thing! Being over 40 must = ancient. 🤣 3y
ravenlee @BookDadGirlDad @wanderinglynn I‘m a nice vintage 40 myself - but for “contemporary” nonfiction this book is pretty dated at 30. 3y
wanderinglynn Vintage, I like that much better than ancient. 👍🏻😆 But yeah, that‘s no long contemporary. A lot has happened in the world in the last 30 years. 3y
28 likes4 comments
review
KathyWheeler
post image
Mehso-so

While this was entertaining, I have questions about its accuracy. One section discusses place names that are spelled differently from how they‘re pronounced; one such example was Natchitoches, LA (I used to live less than an hour from there.) When he says how it‘s actually pronounced, it was nothing like what I learned. Reviewers on Goodreads with actual linguistic credentials also questioned the accuracy.

KathyWheeler The narrator was also irritating when he pronounced “short-lived” with a long i. I suspect this book is better read than listened to. 3y
23 likes1 comment
blurb
Eggs
post image
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sounds interesting! I‘ve always heard English is the hardest to learn...I‘m not sure how accurate that is! Doesn‘t seem like it would be! 4y
Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks English, Latin, French, and Spanish seem similar to me ❤️ 4y
49 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Oblomov26
post image
Pickpick

Hmm.... I have always been fascinated by etymology and the development of languages. In this book Bryson provides an overview of the subject which is at some points entertaining as we have come to expect, but at other points more than a little dry. Also I find some of the specifics that he raises questionable (yes Finnish swearing). Battling whether to make this a pick or a so-so, I will go for the former on the basis of his other books.

review
Daisey
post image
Mehso-so

This was reasonably interesting and entertaining, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. In comparing it to other similar books, I've liked others better. The main point that grated on me was a view of the superiority of English. Additionally, some points didn't quite mesh with what I've read before, and I've read other reviews that mention specific points that may not be completely clear or accurate.

#nonfiction #audiobook #Hoopla

TheAromaofBooks Do you have other suggestions for books with a similar topic? I had some of the same issues with this one that you mentioned, but found the subject itself quite intriguing! 5y
Daisey @TheAromaofBooks I‘ll tag the one that I found most comprehensive and interesting (although also a bit overwhelming), but if you go to my Goodreads (link at the top of my profile) I have a Linguistics Etymology shelf with more possibilities. If you don‘t use Goodreads, let me know and I‘ll tag a couple more. 5y
TheAromaofBooks Oh thank you! I will definitely check this out. 5y
59 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
sullivar

Who'd have thought that a book on etymology would be one of my absolute favorites.

jmofo I enjoyed Bryson‘s book but Our Magnificent Bastard Toungue is amazing, especially as an audiobook! Also: welcome!!!🎉 6y
12 likes1 comment
review
Krisjericho
post image
Mehso-so

I‘m fascinated by languages & how words evolve, so I was intrigued by this. But there were parts that sounded inaccurate, so I looked into some claims. The Finnish not having swear words was one & there were parts about how English was so unique & other languages could never do all these things, so I checked. And a lot of the things he said, if not blatantly false, were at least misleading/mistaken. It made me question the accuracy of the rest.

underthebelljar Nice review! I bailed on this one a while ago - it was pretty interesting but kind of dry. Hearing his information is wrong/skewed makes me think I‘ll just mark it as a bail. 7y
Louise You might try a book or Great Course from Professor John McWhorter. He's excellent and really brings linguistics to life! I believe he also has a podcast. (edited) 7y
38 likes2 comments
blurb
Moonpa
post image

I‘m continuing my Bill Bryson kick with this one about the English language - a lot of interesting facts! I don‘t usually read a writer‘s complete work but I‘m really enjoying it especially on audio.

32 likes3 stack adds
blurb
OrangeMooseReads
post image

Making my "list" of unread Digital

monkeygirlsmama Looking good! 7y
teebe I love this idea. 7y
Luv2readbookz Great idea! 📚 7y
OrangeMooseReads @teebe thanks. Feel free to steal it if want. @Luv2readbookz thanks 7y
43 likes5 comments
review
tysephine
post image
Pickpick

The narrator spoke so. heckin. slowly. that I listened to this on 1.5 speed just to keep awake. Otherwise, I enjoyed it.

blurb
tysephine
post image

Went on my evening walk but still kept reading for #24in48 😊

Readerann LOVE Bill Bryson 7y
13 likes1 comment
review
underthebelljar
post image
Bailedbailed

Interesting content but it was starting to feel like a chore to get through. Could be that I'm reading too many books at the moment, but it just wasn't holding my attention. May try again at a later date. 😕

48 likes1 stack add
blurb
underthebelljar
post image

#TBRTuesday - Working on all of these currently and hoping to really start The Sparrow soon! I really need to stop reading so many books at once 🤦‍♀️

ephemeralwaltz The Mother Tongue is so interesting! 7y
underthebelljar @ephemeralwaltz It is! I'm learning so much from it. It's taking me quite a while to get through though since it's so full of information. 7y
65 likes2 comments
quote
StephanieY
post image

tl;dr English can throw some serious shade. 😎

6 likes1 stack add
review
Aseleener
post image
Pickpick

This was my first Bryson. I really enjoyed it. I find the subject matter very interesting. I loved his writing style. He injected just the right amount of humor and kept it from being dry and boring, which could have easily happened. The only negative was that it was written so long ago that many of the facts and references are horribly outdated. Would have loved updated info. This book has definitely whet my appetite for more #nonfiction. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

LeahBergen I love Bill Bryson but I haven't read this one. 8y
29 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
Aseleener
post image

#seasonsreadings2016 I actually have a duplicate of the book I'm reading right now. I picked up the hardback years ago and then after I got a Kindle I snagged it on sale. Reading the Kindle version now. #multiplecopies @RealLifeReading

36 likes1 stack add
blurb
Aseleener
post image

#seasonsreadings2016 #ereader I 💜 my Kindle. It's just so convenient. I love knowing how many minutes I have left in the chapter. And I can read in the middle of the night when I can't sleep, and don't have to turn a light on. There are so many reasons why I'm a Kindle girl all the way.

8little_paws I love mine for commuting, that function that tells you how much time is left in a chapter is great for train/bus reading 8y
celtichik Or for access to the library, any time..day or night! 8y
Aseleener @8little_paws Yes! I love it when I'm reading to my kids and want to know if I can squeeze in one more chapter before bedtime. @celtichik Absolutely! I get 99% of my Kindle books from the library. 8y
40 likes3 comments
blurb
BookishMarginalia
post image

Doing some reading in preparation for a #BritLit class on the development of English 👍🏼 (and waiting for @WanderingBookaneer to return bearing a venti Pumpkin Spice Latte!) 🤓💜

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I listened to his Shakespeare on audiobook, it was very good. 8y
TheLondonBookworm One of the few Bryson books I haven't read! I love his writing so much, it's so entertaining and interesting. 8y
passingfair Bryson is one of my faaaaaves and this book is great!! 💕💕 8y
audiothing Love the title, reminds me of back in school days and "there is no such word as got". Bill doing it again 8y
112 likes14 stack adds4 comments
blurb
Booksbymybed
post image

Started new non-fiction today

6 likes2 stack adds