Product Description

English is the collective work of millions of people throughout the ages. It is democratic, ever-changing and ingenious in its assimilation of other cultures. English runs through the heart of world finance, medicine and the Internet, and it is understood by around two thousand million people across the world. Yet it was very nearly wiped out in its early years.
In this book Melvyn Bragg shows us the remarkable story of the English language; from its beginnings as a minor guttural Germanic dialect to its position today as a truly established global language. THE ADVENTURE OF ENGLISH is not only an enthralling story of power, religion and trade, but also the story of people, and how their day-to-day lives shaped and continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7106 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Review
'Melvyn Bragg's superb new history of the English language is told as an adventure story, and rightly so. There is much splendid intellectual firepower in this book.' -- Andrew Roberts, Spectator 'Concise as well as learned...Melvyn Bragg takes the high road and strides confidently through the origins and growth of English. It gives us an impressive and sage view of the big picture.' -- Robert Winder, New Statesman 'Bragg is an expert translator in areas that academics find difficult to popularise...he produces a pithy, accessible narrative.' -- Guardian 'This breathless tale of the English language is one of struggle, resilience and triumph' -- Irish Times 'Beautifully clear and, indeed, thrilling' -- Waterstone's Books Quarterly 'Bragg's approachable account gleams with little gems. It has power and clarity...rewarding.' -- Sunday Herald 'Always readable, often thought-provoking, and consistently entertaining.' -- Independent 'This is a highly readable, jargon-free treatise on a notoriously prickly subject. Bragg's affection for his subject is infectious. In this he successfully joins a long tradition of gentleman enthusiasts from peppery Dr Johnson to genial James Murray.' -- Observer

Review
'Melvyn Bragg's superb new history of the English language is told as an adventure story, and rightly so. There is much splendid intellectual firepower in this book.' (Andrew Roberts, Spectator )

'Concise as well as learned...Melvyn Bragg takes the high road and strides confidently through the origins and growth of English. It gives us an impressive and sage view of the big picture.' (Robert Winder, New Statesman )

'Bragg is an expert translator in areas that academics find difficult to popularise...he produces a pithy, accessible narrative.' (Guardian )

'This breathless tale of the English language is one of struggle, resilience and triumph' (Irish Times )

'Beautifully clear and, indeed, thrilling' (Waterstone's Books Quarterly )

'Bragg's approachable account gleams with little gems. It has power and clarity...rewarding.' (Sunday Herald )

'Always readable, often thought-provoking, and consistently entertaining.' (Independent )

'This is a highly readable, jargon-free treatise on a notoriously prickly subject. Bragg's affection for his subject is infectious. In this he successfully joins a long tradition of gentleman enthusiasts from peppery Dr Johnson to genial James Murray.' (Observer )

Waterstone's Books Quarterly
'Beautifully clear and, indeed, thrilling'

Customer Reviews

Excellent Adventure
Having a copy of the King James Bible and copy of the William Tyndale version of the New Testament, I was very interested to find out where the English language as we know it came from.

This book did not dissappoint me. It took me right from the Anglo Saxon and Norse of the six century, which made up Old English, right through to the Modern English that we all speak today and how it is spoken in the former colonies of the British Empire. It is very well written and very informative. I enjoyed a great deal the chapters about the influence of French on our language under William the Conquerer, and how increased trade in the Middle Ages and William Shakespeare helped turn the Middle English of William Tyndale into the Early Modern English of the King James Bible.

I think that what I really like about this book is the fascinating little facts contained in it's pages. About some of the mistakes in Dr Johnson's Dictionary, or the fact that Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" was the first English novel, or how an African slave would be "sold down the river" to another plantation, where the conditions were harsher, as a punishment. This book is absolutely bursting with such little gems of information. They can barely be numbered.

It is not entirely perfect - as afew of it's passages tend to be a bit long winded and need to read twice to get the full understanding. However, it is a very, very enjoyable read and it finishes with a chapter about what the future of our language might be.

I'll conclude by saying that if you are in any way interested in the origins, influence and amazing success of our mother tongue then read this book. I can't recommend it enough.

Fascinating - nearly excellent
The evolution of our language is a fascinating story, well told by Melvyn Bragg.

My only very slight complaint is that it's obviously a book aimed at adults, and the squeamish ***ing of swear-words struck me as inappropriate. They're a part of our language like any other and their history deserves to be told without mollycoddling the reader.

(I don't like it when people complain about 'bad language' when it's used appropriately and in context, and I think it's the duty of the rest of us to complain when certain words are shied away from unnecessarily.)

Don't be put off...
...by the title. This is not a specialist work for the linguist. Any intelligent reader will enjoy it.