The Adventure of English

The Adventure of English

  • by Melvyn Bragg
  • Narrated by Melvyn Bragg
  • 2 hrs and 45 mins
  • Abridged Audiobook
3.5 (2
Ratings.
)

Publisher's Summary

English is the collective work of millions of people throughout the ages. It is democratic, ever-changing, and ingenious in its assimilation of other cultures. English runs through the heart of world finance, medicine, and the Internet, and it is understood by around 2.2 billion people across the world. Yet it was very nearly wiped out in its early years.In this audiobook, Melvyn Bragg shows us 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. Embracing elements of Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, and Gullah, this 1,500-year story covers a huge range of countries and peoples. The Adventure of English is not only an enthralling story of power, religion, and trade, but also the story of people and how their day-to-day lives shaped and continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.

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What the Critics Say

"Compelling and charmingly personal." (Publishers Weekly)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

Educational

This fast paced commentary of how English developed over many centuries and became the international language we know and use today also gives the listener insight into the weirdly inconsistent spelling rules in our language, and how we have come to have such a broad vocabulary with its many shades of expression.
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- Debra

Book Details

  • Release Date: 06-26-2007
  • Publisher: Hodder Headline Limited
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