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)

A great book, lots to learn

A very good book, well worth the time. Made even better by the author's narration. It taught me a lot.

Review

The danish pronunciation, not quite understandable for a dane. But good try. Thanks for the book.

Brilliant!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From its wit and narration to the new ideas presented, it was, all in all, a fantastic choice to spend my Audible credit on.

Very interesting

This book is quite interesting, although it would be better with a print copy in order to see the words and sounds that the narrator is pronouncing.

So bitter about bother linguists not believing him

The subject matter was interesting and informative, but the whole thing has a constant tone of bitterness. The author is clearly upset that his peers don't agree with his theory. I'm not a linguist myself so I don't know what is correct but rather than state his ideas as fact he complains that no one listens.

I can’t even describe how much I love this book

I know people love hearing that they’re right, and that’s mostly why I love this book. I am not a scholar, and just started learning Welsh 2 days ago. Just in learning how to say “I drink coffee” (dw i’n yfed coffi) you can see where the English gets the use of do and sentence structure. It seems to me that anyone should be able to see that Celtic languages have influence English, yet most linguists, and other books I’ve read on the subject, disagree. John McWhorter does a fabulous job explaining the influences other languages have had on English in a way that is easy for lightly educated people to understand and makes total sense. I love it!! The narration is wonderful as well.

Unorganized Tidbit Grammar Facts

This is a collection of grammatical quirks that the English language has, which McWhorter compares to similar instances in other languages to demonstrate how dynamic language evolution has always been. I picked this up because I really love The History of English Podcast by Kevin Stroud, and I found some of what McWhorter says interesting. I think those studying and/or teaching English grammar at the university or graduate level could find a lot of good use out of this.

However, there are some key flaws to this work. If you do not already love grammar, this will not inspire love for the nuances of language construction. The very academic writing style will not bring in any new enthusiasts to the author's tight linguist circle of correspondents.

Furthermore, this did not seem to be organized in any particular manner at all. Maybe the written book is more clearly formatted, but the audio book seems to be just a list of unconnected grammar facts the authors finds interesting. It had the taste of an extremely intelligent person stating fringe tidbits that don't add up to an actual discussion.

I expected more from this topic and this author. Although I think there exist some people who would still like this, if anyone asks me about it, I will be recommending The History of English Podcast by Kevin Stroud instead.

How English became English

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Only if they enjoy etymology. If so, yes I would recommend this book. I did enjoy it.

What did you like best about this story?

The origins of language. Also the narrator presented the information in a pleasant manner.

Which scene was your favorite?

Do not recall.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

A good book if you are interested in etymology, not to be confused with entomology.

Fun dive into linguistics

I am not sure if the audible version of this book is better or worse than the printed version. I found it valuable to hear the pronunciation of the words referenced but found myself missing the opportunity to flip back and forth to compare examples.

Great book for anyone that has ever wondered about the many exceptions and strange parts of the English language - or any language for that matter. The author explains many common elements with the cultural and historical background to make sense of it. Very interesting read, wish there were more like this.

New appreciation for linguist!

This is a scholarly work that was beyond my level. But, thought provoking. I have a new appreciation for linguist. It is not light reading. Keep the bed side lamp on.