The Mother Tongue

“Vastly informative and vastly entertaining…A scholarly and fascinating book.” —Los Angeles Times

With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language.

From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can’t), to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson explores English grammar and word origins as he tells the fascinating, often uproarious story of an inadequate, second-rate tongue of peasants that developed into one of the world’s largest growth industries.

What makes the English language so maddening—and so endlessly fascinating?

• A Witty History of Language: Follow English on its uproarious journey from a second-rate tongue of peasants into a global phenomenon, all guided by Bill Bryson’s celebrated humor.
• Pronunciation and Spelling: Uncover the baffling logic (and lack thereof) behind English spelling and pronunciation, from silent letters to the many ways to say “ough.”
• American and British English: Explore the delightful and often confusing differences that separate the two great dialects of the English-speaking world.
• Surprising Linguistics: Discover the answers to questions you never thought to ask, like the origins of swearing and the real reason you can talk but your dog can’t.