Melvyn Bragg sets out to trace the origins, history, and evolution of the English language in The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language. He achieves his aims admirably, beginning with the invasion of the British isles by the tribes of Anglos and Saxons whose Germanic-rooted dialect has evolved into the English we know today.
Bragg examines both the linguistic influences - from Old Norse to French, Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Yiddish, and Yoruba - as well as the influences of individuals such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, and Mark Twain. From chapter-to-chapter the evolution of English unfurls and pushes west around the world, to North America and the West Indies and to India, Australia, and Singapore.
The Adventure of English is a study in an etymologist's dream as Bragg covers words from earnest (Victorian slang for gay, which gives a whole new meaning to Oscar Wilde's Importance of Being Earnest) to boogie-woogie (southern black slang for syphilis long before it was a style of dance, which likewise lends a new meaning to the boogie woogie blues).
If you've ever wondered about the origin of words and how and why accents exist, Bragg is your man. He held my attention from the opening chapter to the closing pages. It's possible one needs to be a card-carrying member of Club Nerd to make this claim, but those who can will not be disappointed.
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