Items related to The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way

The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way - Hardcover

 
9780688078959: The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
Offers a journey through the intricacies, puzzles, and quirks of the English language, tracing the history of English from its earliest origins to the present day

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
Who would have thought that a book about English would be so entertaining? Certainly not this grammar-allergic reviewer, but The Mother Tongue pulls it off admirably. Bill Bryson--a zealot--is the right man for the job. Who else could rhapsodize about "the colorless murmur of the schwa" with a straight face? It is his unflagging enthusiasm, seeping from between every sentence, that carries the book.

Bryson displays an encyclopedic knowledge of his topic, and this inevitably encourages a light tone; the more you know about a subject, the more absurd it becomes. No jokes are necessary, the facts do well enough by themselves, and Bryson supplies tens per page. As well as tossing off gems of fractured English (from a Japanese eraser: "This product will self-destruct in Mother Earth."), Bryson frequently takes time to compare the idiosyncratic tongue with other languages. Not only does this give a laugh (one word: Welsh), and always shed considerable light, it also makes the reader feel fortunate to speak English.

From the Publisher:
8 1.5-hour cassettes

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherWilliam Morrow & Co
  • Publication date1990
  • ISBN 10 0688078958
  • ISBN 13 9780688078959
  • BindingHardcover
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages270
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780141040080: Mother Tongue: The Story of the English Language

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780141040080
Publisher: Penguin Books, 2009
Unknown Binding

  • 9780380715435: The Mother Tongue - English And How It Got That Way

    Willia..., 1990
    Softcover

  • 9780140143058: Mother Tongue : The English Language

    Gardne..., 1991
    Softcover

  • 9781435121683: The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way

    Willia..., 1990
    Hardcover

  • 9780965316590: The Mother Tongue - English & How It Got That Way

    Willia..., 1990
    Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Bryson, Bill
Published by William Morrow & Co (1990)
ISBN 10: 0688078958 ISBN 13: 9780688078959
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Wizard Books
(Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0688078958

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 54.46
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.50
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Bryson, Bill
Published by Brand: William Morrow n Co (1990)
ISBN 10: 0688078958 ISBN 13: 9780688078959
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Front Cover Books
(Denver, CO, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0688078958

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 59.45
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.30
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Bryson, Bill
Published by William Morrow & Co (1990)
ISBN 10: 0688078958 ISBN 13: 9780688078959
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
The Book Spot
(Sioux Falls, SD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # Abebooks193372

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 64.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Bryson, Bill
Published by William Morrow & Co (1990)
ISBN 10: 0688078958 ISBN 13: 9780688078959
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0688078958

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 68.87
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Bryson, Bill
Published by William Morrow & Co (1990)
ISBN 10: 0688078958 ISBN 13: 9780688078959
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0688078958

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 70.67
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Bryson, Bill
Published by William Morrow & Co (1990)
ISBN 10: 0688078958 ISBN 13: 9780688078959
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
BennettBooksLtd
(LOS ANGELES, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 1.2. Seller Inventory # Q-0688078958

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 94.41
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.02
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds