Journeys in English

by Bill Bryson

This BBC Radio 4 series is written and presented by Bill Bryson and based on his best-selling book "Mother Tongue". In it he romps through the history of Britain to reveal how English became such an infuriatingly complex - but ultimately world-beating - language. The subject areas covered in the course of the programme (which was originally broadcast in 6 episodes) include the arrival of the Angles and the Saxons, the rules which brought order to a disorderly language, the million and one ways to have fun with the English language, the struggle with phrasal verbs (and the way things often get lost in the translation) and the future of English - does Estuary English Rule OK?

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, History, Language, Travel, Linguistics, Humor

3 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Bill Bryson is a bestselling American-British author known for his witty and accessible nonfiction books spanning travel, science, and language. He rose to prominence with Notes from a Small Island (1995), an affectionate portrait of Britain, and solidified his global reputation with A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), a popular science book that won the Aventis and Descartes Prizes. Raised in Iowa, Bryson lived most of his adult life in the UK, working as a journalist before turning to writing full-time. His other notable works include A Walk in the Woods, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and The Mother Tongue. Bryson served as Chancellor of Durham University (2005–2011) and received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including an honorary OBE and election as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. Though he announced his retirement from writing in 2020, he remains one of the most beloved voices in contemporary nonfiction, with over 16 million books sold worldwide.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was able to listen to Journeys in English on Libby (shout out to the library!).

This is actually a radio series based on Bill Bryson's book Mother Tongue. (Which I have not read, but I feel like I get the idea of it from this audiobook).

We follow Bryson as he goes around Britain and discusses the complexities of the English language - idioms, idiosyncrasies and idiocy surrounding the wild wild west (or should I say wild moors? wild foggy london streets? Ahh, that's just a phase that is lost in translation...) of the most commonly spoken language.

This was a quick, fun listen. I enjoyed Bryson's signature wit and dry humor to a potentially boring subject. His always does a great job of narration and this was no exception.

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[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Bryson is a geek god! His Journeys in English will delight wordsmiths and lexicographers. I'm not going to bother writing much of a review though, because this is an audio version of a media program, not a book, so it will likely be removed from the site eventually.

[Alyson Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent little romp i to the history of the English language.

[Ka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting but so dated that it's difficult to read now. All the historical stuff is fine, since time travel has not yet altered the way in which English came about, but the more modern stuff is just hopelessly dated, especially given the massive shift in language that is occurring now due to the internet (and texting, unfortunately).

It also has issues when discussing other languages. I love English too! And I think it is TEH BESTEST!!! But why are we counting "ballet" and "mesa" and "schadenfreude" as English words in the overall wordcount and then saying that when other languages borrow "computer" and "hotel" that those are still OUR words and don't add to THEIR wordcount? Well of COURSE we have about a billion more words than anyone else, if that's the case. (We do have a lot more words, of course, but counting in this fashion really makes the differences much more dramatic and is unfair.)

ALSO he makes statements about other languages which are either misinformed or just plain wrong. Swedish does have swearwords. The Japanese word for foreigner is "gaijin" and literally means "outside-person." I have no idea who told him that it means "smelling of foreign hair." Japanese people, especially when this book was written, can as a group be quite racist and the word "gaijin" often carries negative connotations, but it doesn't literally MEAN anything bad. Also, okay, it doesn't have a future tense, but neither does English! In the sentence "I will read the book," how did you change "read" to be different from present tense? OH WE DIDN'T, WE DON'T DO THAT, WE TACK ON ANOTHER WORD. Japanese does the same thing. This is not a difference. It's actually what I consider to be a strange similarity.

He SHOULD have mentioned Japanese's lovely acceptance of "implied" things which can be headsmackingly confusing to English speakers. You can have an entire conversation made of nothing but conjugated verbs (as long as both people know the subject and object, they never ever have to be mentioned) and it's grammatically correct. They also have the most staggering collection of awesome onomatopoeia! In English we have "crash" and "boom" but in Japanese they have not just tons of sound words, but words indicating the (metaphorical) sound you make when you're mad (iraira), for something spinning (guruguru), something that looks soft (fuwafuwa) and so on. These are marvelous and occasionally hilarious and I have an entire dictionary full of them. English needs to steal these immediately as they are just plain awesome. I wish Mr Bryson had done a bit more admiring of the strengths of other languages; English is really fantastic, but come on.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A nice encapsulation of Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue and listening to this so soon after finished the book solidified a few things in my head that might have otherwise just wisped right out. And yes, I just made up the word 'wisped' - my contribution to the evolution of the language.

A (slightly) wordier version: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/124249...

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting audio cd. I wish I had known about this radio program when I was reading his book "Mother Tongue" I think it would have been a great compliment to it. Bill Bryson speaks with multiple people who study the variations in the English language and it expands on what he wrote about in "Mother Tongue".

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this short audio book, mainly because it is narrated by the great Bill Bryson, but I came away mildly disapointed.
'Journeys in English' consists of a series of BBC radio programmes where Bill Bryson discusses the English language.
It starts off quite strong, begining with an excellent summary of the the development of English as as language, tracing the various invasions and so forth.
But about mid way Bryson loses steam and the programme become somewhat slow and repeatative. The constant praise for the English language and its great vocabulary/ability to adapt/capacity for word play wears thin quite quickly.
Also many of the sound bites are replayed far too many times, although I supose if you listened to one episode a week as intended perhaps the repitition wouldn't be so noticable.
However Bryson is always pleasant to listen to and you're bound to learn something new about the English language in 'journeys in English'.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm usually a huge fan of Bill Bryson's writing, but wasn't interested in his book on the history of the English language since I studied it in college. What I did like about this adaptation was it was a 6 part series he did for the BBC and he interviewed all types of interesting scholars and there was lots of sound bites of people speaking different types of English. The sound quality was terrible though, and it got a little dry towards the end. I wonder if the book was better.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a History of the English Language course in college, but this book was so much better! Bill Bryson knows just how to deepen my appreciation for anything he talks about, and, though I may be biased, I adored this homage to the world's most renown and influential, but also most storied and playful language.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of radio programs with fascinating reflections on the development of the English language, with Bill Bryson as a host and several historical and linguistic experts as guests/consultants. The primary focus is on English as it has developed in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with brief sections on Australia, Canada, the U.S., and other places where English is the primary spoken language.

[Šarūnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting take on what slang was back in the days and that it made speaking easier. What it was like to have an accent and whether it made you proud of where you came from or not.
You chop on fine - have a good meal in Pidgin, African English slang.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even with several narrators in the audiobook (all the accents!), This book was just way too dry to get through. Stopped.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - this was a bbc radio production based on bill Bryson’s book and I think listening to an overview is more compelling to hear how accents change, how language evolves etc. parts of this were quite interesting even for a non linguist but parts were a bit dry, even for being short.

[Lars Dradrach · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining radio broadcast about the English language, Bill Bryson is as ( mostly ) always entertaining.

The content seems well researched and are especially interesting for us for whom English is our second language.

[Kellie's Book List · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating tour of the English language, with information about etymology, dialects, and the uniqueness of this language. A perfect mix of being informative but also entertaining.

There's interesting facts about what distinguishes English from other languages around the world: its amalgamation of other languages, the variety of words in our vocabulary, and its playfulness:

"Word play in English is as old as English itself."

I also feel like I learned so many new things about the English language, and language in general. The historical stories were most captivating:

"At Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, during the Second World War, the very skills and lateral mental processes that made the English so adept at crosswords were put to use to break the famous German Enigma code. The success of the Bletchley park codebreakers is thought to have shortened the war by at least two years."

Audiobook notes: This audiobook is actually a BBC radio production, based upon his book Mother Tongue, and it is a mix of Bill Bryson's narrative and his interviews with linguists, etc. around the British Isles.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think most people who try to speak English correctly know that the language has evolved over time and is quite different from that which was spoken long ago. This audiobook covers the evolution of English as a language and is fascinating! Words we commonly use in everyday communication came from many sources. It's not a long book, but contains some great observations on the language. And, it you are of a certain age and know the difference between to, too, and two as well as there, their, and they're, you will probably identify with those in the past who thought that "English is going to the dogs!" :-) Worth listening to! (not too or two) :-)

[JoLee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, short listen about the English language. It's basically like listening to a podcast series from before podcasts were really a thing. Journeys in English definitely gives the listener a sense of the development of English over time and how that added to the breadth of the language.

The book is very heavy on the British side, which should come as no surprise, as it was produced by BBC Radio. More could have been done on the development of English in other parts of the world.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty dated.

It's interesting he keeps pointing out English has the widest geographical spread as if it were a surprise. It's odd to have so much history mentioned but somehow all of colonialism is pretty much skipped? Given that the British Empire managed to even beat out the rest of Europe for number and spread of footholds, and that before the US got involved, it shouldn't be a shock it's an official language in more countries than even Spanish and Portuguese.

In terms of number of words, a lot of the examples given were ones we stole from other languages in the first place (and recently, not ones with the statute of limitations has expired...)

[Sixwing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun for anyone with an interest in linguistics or hearing interesting languages, including those which have contributed much to English and are still spoken on their own and those which have been reconstructed, spoken.

Lost points for a certain amount of crowing about how English is apparently God's gift to mankind, and having a very limited perspective on what constitutes wordplay and who uses it (or is recognized to use it). I'd sincerely like to see the same enthusiasm applied to South African English and Indian English as was given to American and Australian English.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting facts in here about the English language I particularly liked the beginning section regarding early development of English language. I also enjoyed the range of accents and readings. There was a lot of scope for expansion particularly on the points regarding trade and pidgin English, and the adoption of words from non European languages from trading scenarios, eg "ketchup" and "long time no see" from Chinese. All in all linguistics in general and English specifically is a subject I like to explore so it was an enjoyable listen.

[Tara Blais Davison · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 An interesting and entertaining exploration into the past 400 years of English language. How the language evolved and developed over the years, from its Germanic beginnings to its Latin, French and Slavic influences then its Chaucer, Marlowe and Shakespearean literary contributions; to its global influences due to world travel and global exploration. Though the English language has never had a governing body to regulate its standards, English is admired for its infinite capacity to remain changeable and exciting, while at we strive to protect its standards.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Bryson reads this book that folds in history, the movement of tribes, and how they influenced the English language and left their mark in place names. A book to dip into again and again, and enjoy whatever part you choose to read. Included are interviews with experts on the English language. Recommended for Anglophiles.

[Rona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Очень интересно было слушать про английский язык, хотя эти подкасты не сложились в одну общую историю по хронологии. Удивительно было услышать разные акценты и как английский звучал раньше - вообще не понятно, особенно мне понравилась часть про пиджин и как Британцу пришлось менять произношение чтобы его поняли в Техасе.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable audiobook about the English language. I'm not sure if you can get it in written format, but you definitely would only want to experience it as an audiobook. It is fascinating to hear all the dialects and learn how some of them morphed over time. I particularly enjoyed the section on word plays - it gave me some little insights into the mystery of cryptic crosswords.

[Richard M · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent insight into the journey of the English language! However, I’ve never heard of the English language being referred to as a virus.. it is a little saddening that because of the success of the English language we loose so much other language and culture. Nevertheless, a very interesting and informative book, would recommend 👍🏽

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow! Loved this a lot! Plenty of humour made this a super fun read on the English language and now I understand exactly why some of the crazy rules & exceptions exist. Totally recommend this to anyone who has even a slight interest in languages.
I'm really hoping he does another one of these covering the changes and quirks in the past few years.

[Christina Brandsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always like Bill Bryson's work because they're basically "Christina deep dives" and always fascinating. This was good, but not my favorite.

If the thought of a book on the journey of the English language sounds interesting to you, read: OUR MAGNIFICENT BASTARD TONGUE, MOTHER TONGUE, or WORD BY WORD. If you want to listen to just a little bit of English's story, listen to this.

[Philly Kash · Rating 3 out of 5]

My British friend recommended Bill Bryson's "Mother Tongue," and having always been interested in linguistics and the origins of language, I had to check it out.

They spent some time celebrating English's unique fascination with palindromic sentences, my favorite of which so far is: "Live on, time! Emit no evil!"

Would love to hear yours!

[KLB · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic book to read as a speech-language pathologist nerd. We have words and syntax from so many origins and to see how enriched we are for all this makes me feel trying to keep things standardized is boring. Beautiful example of the beauty (and complexity) of diversity. Changes shouldn’t be “taboo” even though it’s all so disorderly! Great lesson for me in that.

[Jaakko Salminen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and educational, although a bit uneven at times. As always, Bryson has excellent insights into the history and present of English language, and he is himself a master of it with his witty style. Audio quality is poor on average, making some sections difficult to follow.