Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue

The Untold History of English

By: John McWhorter

Narrated by: John McWhorter

Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar. Why do we say "I am reading a catalog" instead of "I read a catalog"? Why do we say "do" at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history.

Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century A.D., John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor.

Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research, as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English - and its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for. (And no, it's not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition.)

©2008 John McWhorter (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"McWhorter's iconoclastic impulses and refreshing enthusiasm makes this worth a look for anyone with a love for the language." (Publishers Weekly)

"McWhorter’s energetic, brash delivery of his own spirited and iconoclastic text will appeal to everyone who appreciates the range and caliber of today’s audio production. In some ways, audio is superior to printed text in portraying tone, attitude, values, and in this case, a discussion whose theme is the sound and grammar of words." (AudioFile magazine)

Accessible but solid linguistic exploration

Aside from what seemed to be some minor glitches in the recording, this book is a delightfully edifying exploration of how English has become a unique language among the Indo-European languages. Why did we shed cases? Where does the "do" question construction come from? Or the present "-ing" verb tense come from, among many other interesting features of a language influenced by many waves of immigration, invasion, and cultural mingling.

"Meaningless Do"

Where does Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved this book! Honestly. It was marvelously entertaining, believe it or not, and had me laughing even when I didn't totally understand all the language nuances. By that I mean, I'm certainly not an English Major by any stretch. What captured my fancy was how McWhorter harkened to the word "do" in our language has having absolutely no genuine meaning whatsoever and thereby calling it "meaningless do." We all use "do" every day. But it has no value. It now haunts me when I use the word!

What other book might you compare Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue to and why?

I'm stumped on this question. I love books and words so anything well written, well narrated qualifies.

Have you listened to any of John McWhorter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not that I am aware of, narrator wise. He had good presence.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How did we end up like this in speech?

Any additional comments?

Don't be wary of this book just because of the title. It's a real gem.

Informative and convincing

Informative. Definitely convinced me of the impact of the Celts and Welsh on modern English.

Interesting if a bit repetitive

Pros: Deals with linguistic details beyond etymology, and explains why this is important; spends a good deal of time explaining the important distinction between descriptive research and investigative research. Mythbusting the things you thought you knew about linguistics/English grammar. Really interesting stuff and I learned a lot. Plus, it’s great to hear the author read the book.

Cons: First chapter was overly long - at least one too many analogies explaining the same concept multiple times, and how all the other scholars are silly to ignore the apparent facts - we get it! This happens once or twice throughout the book, but not much after chapter one.

Fantastic!

I loved his Great Course Lecture, which led me to this book. It did not disappoint.

Entertaining for word nerds

Enjoyed the logic of his ideas and his interesting and highly varied examples. However, Chapter 4 could have been a paragraph instead of a chapter and that slowed it down.

Do does

I am an ESL teacher. Thanks to you, finally I have a good explanation for miserable “DO”🌹

Awesome!

This lecturer is fantastic. I have listened to two of his course is now and he is one of my favorites. Entertaining, easy to listen to, and Incredibly interesting lectures

Heavy with good info

Insightful, real and with a bit of humor. It is a very deep subject but the author knows his stuff

Oh But So But Good

(That will seem funnier after you listen.) Seriously, this is far and away the best book I’ve come across on the history of the English language. The research is phenomenal, the discussion is lively and so but so but interesting. McWhorter discounts or debunks most of the theories we’ve all assumed to be true, and presents ample evidence for his own, which he does with wit and charm. His pronunciation of so many common phrases in so many diverse languages is astounding.