The Adventure of English
by Melvyn Bragg, Robert Powell
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 131)
Read in March, 2006
It’s difficult not to be interested in how the English language developed. The more you read, the more you’ve got to wonder about how it came together and how it came to be like this. Bragg does an admirable job exploring its origins – in Middle English, in Old English, in Saxon and other European tongues, and how it developed in Britain, the Americas and Australia. His research is clearly thorough, but is quite dry and becomes a chore to read through. Sometimes Adventure in English feels ...more
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Read in December, 2007
This book started slowly (try as I might, I just can't get excited about Vikings and Celts), but after it picked up, it was absolutely terrific. The English language is the main character in this non-fiction book, and the author cheers it along with zest. Through wars, empires, printing presses, and social revolutions, English always wins.
I especially loved it in audio format because the reader was able to demonstrated the different pronunciations and accents. I'm not sure that all of the...more
I especially loved it in audio format because the reader was able to demonstrated the different pronunciations and accents. I'm not sure that all of the...more
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Read in November, 2005
This is based upon the audio download from www.Audible.com
Narrated by: Robert Powell
I've always wondered how languages started, especially English. The way to "read" this book is to "listen" to it. I can not imagine how it would have been to read this one. If there was ever a book that was better listened to than read, this is it. To get the most of this book you need to know how to pronounce the words from old ...more
Narrated by: Robert Powell
I've always wondered how languages started, especially English. The way to "read" this book is to "listen" to it. I can not imagine how it would have been to read this one. If there was ever a book that was better listened to than read, this is it. To get the most of this book you need to know how to pronounce the words from old ...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Any speaker of English
Best book I've read about the origins of the English language.
This is 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 lives continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.
This is 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 lives continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.
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recommends it for:
people who like biographies
The author gives a history of the language as though "English" were a person. It's really interesting. It makes our grammar rules and our spelling inconsistencies (sp?) seem almost logical. A documentary was made using the book as a script. Both are interesting, but the book is less of a yawner, which is strange when you think about it.
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
etymology enthusiast
Really interesting and a surprisingly breezy read. The author has a tendancy to make long, rambling lists to prove his points, but, mostly, this is a very enjoyable read. From William the Conqueror to the present day, Medieval England to the modern world of the Internet, he pretty much covers it all.
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Read in April, 2008
Didn't quite finish the book..lost interest when English arrived onto the scene in the American West. But overall, it was a pretty interesting read about the language that seems to have taken over the world.
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Read in August, 2007
Extremely interesting tale of how English developed and was peppered with words from a huge range of languages at various times for various reasons.
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Read in April, 2008
Good review of the accumulative nature of the English language. Fun to read about the pull between American English and British English.
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An interesting overview that was more popular than scholarly. Apparently there was a BBC series too....
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Read in June, 2008
Fairly interesting but not one I'd recommend to others.
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Read in May, 2008
An absolute delight and a surprisingly quick read.
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Read in January, 2005
I devoured this book. Absolutely fascinating.
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