Title: Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue
Author(s): John McWhorter
Language: English
Published: 30 October 2008
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
ISBN: 9781592404940
Extension: EPUB
Size: 266 KB
Subjects: Language Arts, Nonfiction
Categories: Language Arts, Nonfiction
A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar
Why do we say "I am reading a catalog" instead of "I read a catalog"? Why do we say "do" at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history. Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English-and its ironic simplicity.
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