Mother Tongue - Bill Bryson


Paperback - Very Good Condition

£1.50

In this hymn to the mother tongue Bill Bryson examines how a language treated for centuries as the inadequate and second-rate tongue of peasants’ has now become the undisputed global language (more people learn English in China than live in the USA). He explains how the words shampoo sofa, slogan, OK and rowdy (and others drawn from over fifty languages) got into our dictionaries and how the major dictionaries were created. explores the countless varieties of English – from American to Australian, from Creole to Cockney Thyming slang – and the perils of marketing brands with names like Pschitt and Super Piss. With entertaining sections on the oddities of swearing and spelling, spoonerisms and Scrabble, and a consideration of what we mean by ‘good English’, Mother Tongue is one of the most stimulating books yet written on this endlessly engrossing subject.

Out of stock

Description

Mother Tongue: The English Language by Bill Bryson

In a very good condition. Some creasing to the spine and cover. See photos for more details.

Additional information

Weight 210 g
Dimensions 19.6 × 12.8 × 1.8 cm
Condition

Format

Paperback

Writer

Bill Bryson