The Adventure of English

The Biography of a Language

By: Melvyn Bragg

Narrated by: Robert Powell

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.

©2003 Melvyn Bragg (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Both entertaining and informative." (Booklist)
"This 'biography' succeeds in its broad, sweeping narrative." (Publishers Weekly)

Not for those with a casual interest

I learned much from this book and, as other reviewers have pointed out, it is very well written and read. However, I must confess that it was a chore for me to get through. The lists of words often went on and on and would definitely work better in written form than in audio. While driving I often had to switch to the radio to keep from falling asleep.


If you have a serious interest in language and etymology, this is a must read. For the rest of us, it's a bit like homework that you know you should do, but don't always look forward to with glee.

Great material

I am not a linguist and the lists of words did not interest me, but hearing the history through the angle of the language was very interesting. The infusion of foreign words in the language shows how great an influence the force or movement was on the minds of the english people. A good introduction and an enjoyable listen.

three cheers for English

This was a great listen. Being British and having a mother with a very "proper" accent and a father with a lovely Scottish accent made this book an even better adventure. It gave me a clear understanding of many of the odd terms and quotes and sayings which are such a part of our family. If you are from anywhere in Britain you will marvel at the reader's command of dialects both ancients and modern. I really enjoy it when I can learn a lot from a book and be entertained at the same time.

a bit mysoginistic but still fascinating

Melvyn Bragg is one of the actual persons that all the comedians mocking the ponderously educated English gentleman are modeling. Depending on your tastes, this book is either full of the lush and deep details and patriotic pride that feels like featherbed, or it is suffocating and tedious. The content is fascinating, but you best be patient. Give a listen to Mr. Bragg's podcast, In Our Time, and you'll get a sense of his style. He writes just as he talks. If you like his podcast, you will really like this book.

Can listen over and over again

I have listened to this over and over again. It's the way all history should be taught. Well, at least one refreshing way. I guess some people had problems with English sort of going on an adventure. But, though it was treated somewhat like an individual, it wasn't. It wasn't so personified that it was simplified. I thought it was an engaging way to show all of the origins, cultural changes, struggles and triumphs, and history English came through to what we now know as modern English. Simple things going one way or the other, or not happening could have made all the difference in the survival and/or direction English took to get to what we have today. A really fun romp through history with English.

Surprisingly engaging

Wow! What an unexpectedly interesting book. The reader is amazing too. It's interesting to hear him tackle all of the various dialects, with his Jamaican dialect being among my favorites. Highly recommended!

Interesting History of English

After seeing the BBC 8 part series last year hosted by Mr Bragg himself, I wanted to read this book. However I will admit a tendency to shy away from reading books that deal with pre 1066 history as I admit some difficulty dealing with the correct pronunciations of proper names from that time period. Listening to this book the past few days on my daily commute, it has reinvigorated my love for the Middle Ages and the pre-Norman times. Perhaps as some critics of the BBC show pointed out there may be stretches and leaps on word etymology at points but overall I would highly recommend this to a general amateur historian not only for the history of the language but to show how it truly affected the history of England itself.

The Book for the Word Nerd

I can't imagine reading this without the excellent narration of everything from Old English to foreign languages. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who has a love of the English language and wishes to brush up on his or her English history.

Fascinating and engaging history of English

If you could sum up The Adventure of English in three words, what would they be?

English word origins

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Adventure of English?

Jamaican Creole poem on value of dialects to the English language

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

Convenience

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

More fascination than extreme reaction

Any additional comments?

Anyone interested in the English Language and words will enjoy this.

Fascinating and insightful, must listen!

One of the most interesting and fascinating books I've read. Did you ever wonder why English is the way it is? Where did it come from? Fantastic book, I want to start it over and listen again!