This is the remarkable story of the English language; from its beginnings as a minor guttural Germanic dialect to its position today as a truly established global language. The Adventure of English is not only an enthralling story of power, religion, and trade, but also the story of people, and how their lives continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.
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"This is more of a hagiography of English than anything else. It looked at the language more in a historical approach than a linguistic approach. It was a fun listen. I have reservations about the pronunciation of the narrator. " — Tom (4 out of 5 stars)
"This is more of a hagiography of English than anything else. It looked at the language more in a historical approach than a linguistic approach. It was a fun listen. I have reservations about the pronunciation of the narrator. "
" This was a great read! I'm very glad that I listened to this in audio book format, as I'm certain that hearing the words pronounced by the very skilled narrator enhanced my enjoyment! "
" Enjoyed it! Recommend for anyone interested in knowing what English is all about. You'll be surprised. "
" This review refers to the Audible edition. The early part of this book moves quickly and the reader's ability to pronounce the early examples makes it fascinating. The book is interesting,but drags during the seemingly endless lists of words used in the last few chapters. "
" A fascinating read. So much history in our mutt of a language. Its capacity to acquire from and influence other languages. "
" Long book, but amazing. Tells how the English language developed into what it is. "
" A must read for all logophiles. Bragg really does turn the English Language into an adventure, an adventure that has now penetrated most of the world. "
" Excellent. I rec the audio format so you can hear how earlier versions of English sounded. "
" this is a fascinating insight into the way the language has developed. i enjoy this sort of thing generally but this approach was genuinely engaging for a general reader. "
" Very fascinating to read about the history of the English language. Leaves you wondering where is the language heading now? "
" As a Spanish teacher I was amazed at how much I did not know about the developments of our major world languages. I need to read this again!! Amazing work and well put together. "
" Interesting subject matter, but presented in a rather dry fashion with lots of unnecessary repetition. The book also does not lend itself to being recorded, since large chunks of the prose are basically just lists of words. "
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