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)

His hypothesis is interesting for the first 10 min

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not unless they are inveterate anglophiles who care about such arcane matters as why English has an unnecessary "do" or why we use the "-ing" to indicate present action. This is NOT a book for the fainthearted who want to hear all sorts of interesting facts about English words. The author has a thesis that he is trying to prove about the origin of those two peculiarities and he presents cogent arguments in support of his position, but it seems inconsequential.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The author's kaleidoscopic knowledge of many languages was interesting. The least interesting was how he kept piling on argument after argument to support his thesis.

What does John McWhorter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He seems to be able to pronounce a wide variety of words in many languages.

Did Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue inspire you to do anything?

Unfortunately no. I was hoping that it would.

vaguely interesting...but not for me

Any additional comments?

I found this book boring. It just never gave me any points to keep me interested. He discusses in great detail about how grammar is different in English than other languages. That in and of itself would be interesting, but the underlying points of the book (which seemed to be addressing what to me seemed to be "in the weeds" disputes in the field of linguistics) really left me saying "so what?" Maybe I'm being to critical, but I have a rule that I listen to every book I purchase through to the end, and this one was hard to make it through. Maybe someone versed in linguistics would find it interesting, but I would think few lay readers would.

I only wish it was longer

It was a fantastic book. Narration is excellent and the content very interesting. My only complaint is that it's too short.

Interesting but hard to follow

I really like the topic but I found the content hard to follow while listening. It would have been nice to be able to actually see and re-read sections. However, I can't imagine not having McWhorter's pronunciations to listen to either.

All in all I got the point but would have a hard time recommending the book to someone unless they were already interested in learning about the origins and influences on English.

Would be better in print.

Not being able to see some of the words in print misses something in translation.

Enjoyable conversation describing the development of modern English

Dr. McWhorter presents facts and ideas about how our language, especially grammar, evolved over time. He clearly describes his impressions, opinions, as well as precisely what we know and how we know it.
I especially enjoyed his specific examples comparing a variety of words and sentences from several related languages. His ability to smoothly switch between languages with effortless pronunciation made listening more interesting and added to my understanding of the linguistic analysis.
Some reviewers have suggested that he was a bit repetitive to drive home a few of his opinions, but I think he stuck to his purpose and points. Part of why we read is to be exposed to new opinions and differing priorities. I found it interesting to know what he felt strongly about.
A great listen for people with a curiosity about the development of language, especially English, and how society responds to changes in it.

I Stand Accused, Tried, and Convicted

John McWhorter has exposed all self-righteous grammarians in this wonderful course. I admit that much of what he says about pedantics like me who accuse people of bad grammar or vocabulary only do so to claim superiority over the "great unwashed."

Mea culpa. Dr. McWhorter not only makes the accusations - gently and humorously - he supports his case with tons of evidence not only in the history of the English language, but of all languages.

I must admit Prof. McWhorter made me thoroughly enjoy my trial and conviction in a way I never foresaw.

I did not expect quite so much quibbling

Based on the title, I thought this sounded like a linguistic overview of the history of English – for the non-linguist, I hoped. However, it was definitely not that.

Instead, it was really a rather protracted presentation of one side of what is apparently an ongoing argument among linguists, about the grammatical influence of Celtic languages, the Vikings’ influence, etc. As such, much of it was rather repetitive, and frankly, it was mildly interesting at best.

I was sorely tempted to give up at several points, even though it was only five hours and change in length. I did stick with it, only because John McWhorter is an excellent narrator for this long-winded argument.

Insightful and Entertaining

I am not a linguist, but this seems to be a well researched and well argued position on many peculiar facets of the English language. The author/narrator’s delivery was pleasant and easy to listen to. Would recommend.

Great but a little hard to follow orally

This book is a compelling telling of McWhorter’s view as to how we really got our English language which is at odds with the “traditional” arguments. While we will never know the actual truth, McWhorter makes a very good argument for his position. I am not a linguist so I cannot tell which position is more likely but am glad to get this view — and McWhorter also gives the “devil” his due as well in presenting the arguments against them.

The only issue is much of the arguments are based on sound patterns which are not clear to my ear in the spoken form of this book but probably are clearer in the written form.