The Adventure of English

By Bragg, MelvynThe Biography of a Language

Length11h 49m

About this book

Summary

“Superb. . . . Inspiring.”—Newsday. “A captivating history.”--The Daily Telegraph. “A thorough and incredibly enjoyable trip down a linguistic memory lane.”—Bloomsbury ReviewHere is the riveting story of the English language, from its humble beginnings as a regional dialect to its current preeminence as the one global language, spoken by more than two billion people worldwide. In this groundbreaking book, Melvyn Bragg shows how English conquered the world. It is a magnificent adventure, full of jealousy, intrigue, and war—against a hoard of invaders, all armed with their own conquering languages, which bit by bit, the speakers of English absorbed and made their own.Along the way, its colorful story takes in a host of remarkable people, places, and events: the Norman invasion of England in 1066; the arrival of The Canterbury Tales and a “coarse” playwright named William Shakespeare, who added 2,000 words to the language; the songs of slaves; the words of Davy Crockett; and the Lewis and Clark expedition, which led to hundreds of new words as the explorers discovered unknown flora and fauna.The Adventure of English is an enthralling story not only of power, religion, and trade, but also of a people and how they changed the world.

Book information

Genre

Education and Learning

Length

11 hrs 49 mins

Publish date

Apr 1, 2011

Language

English

About the Author

Bragg, Melvyn

View all Audiobooks by Bragg, Melvyn

1Also by

1514 - Wild West Words

21 - The Common Tongue

1615 - Sold Down the River

32 - The Great Escape

1716 - Mastering the Language

43 - Conquest

1817 - The Proper Way to Talk

54 - Holding On

1918 - Steam, Streets and Slang

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Education and Learning

The Adventure of English

By Bragg, MelvynThe Biography of a Language

Education and Learning

Length11h 49m

About this book

Summary

Book information

Genre

Education and Learning

Length

11 hrs 49 mins

Publish date

Apr 1, 2011

Language

English

About the Author

Bragg, Melvyn

View all Audiobooks by Bragg, Melvyn

1Also by

1514 - Wild West Words

21 - The Common Tongue

1615 - Sold Down the River

32 - The Great Escape

1716 - Mastering the Language

43 - Conquest

1817 - The Proper Way to Talk

54 - Holding On

1918 - Steam, Streets and Slang

The Adventure of English

About this book

Summary

Book information

About the Author

Bragg, Melvyn

Table of Contents

The Adventure of English

About this book

Summary

Book information

About the Author

Bragg, Melvyn

Table of Contents