Adapted from Mother Tongue this stunningly illustrated book by Bill Bryson tells the story of English, from the first words ever spoken to the very first dictionaries.
Perfect for ages 8 to 80!
Every day, you do something incredible, and I bet you barely ever think about it: you speak.
But have you ever wondered why the English language turned out like it did? If so, this is the book for you. It will also answer some VERY important questions . . .
Why do we have the Vikings to thank for words like glitter and sky?
Why did LOL used to mean little old ladies?
And why did no one know what majestic meant until Shakespeare came along?
In this epic journey through words, rhymes - and even a few jokes - Bill Bryson will teach you how the English language came to be and what makes it a rich and beautiful thing.
Get ready . . . because the story of the English language is an EXTRAORIDNARY one.
Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. He settled in England in 1977, and lived for many years with his English wife and four children in North Yorkshire. He and his family then moved to America for a few years but have now returned to the UK. He succeeded Sir Peter Ustinov as Chancellor of the University of Durham in April 2005. His bestsellers include The Lost Continent, Neither Here Nor There, Notes From a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, Down Under and, most recently, A Short History of Nearly Everything which won the Aventis Prize for Science Books in 2004.
