Tag: Bill Bryson

Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson

Posted June 23, 2010 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Non-Fiction / 0 Comments

Mother Tongue by Bill BrysonTitle: Mother Tongue (Goodreads)
Author: Bill Bryson
Published: Penguin, 1980
Pages: 270
Genres: Non-Fiction
My Copy: Paperback

Buy: Amazon (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

Recently I read Made In America by Bill Bryson, so I thought it would be appropriate to read Mother Tongue as well. Though there was a fair chunk of similar information in both books, Mother Tongue is just more relevant. While Made in America focused on the history of English in America; Mother Tongue focuses mainly on the history of English in general. Trying to cover questions like, “Why is there a ‘u’ in four and not in forty?” or “Why do we tell a lie and tell the truth?”

Bill Bryson does a great job of teaching and keeps the book interesting and sometimes humorous. Though the format and the style of the books are similar, I would recommend Mother Tongue over Made in America simply because the information is more relevant and covers all aspects of the English language.

Recommended for all English geeks, this book will give you a deeper understanding of the language as well as grammatical structures like amphibology. My wife might also be happy to hear that the book covers the topic of onomatopoeia.


Made In America by Bill Bryson

Posted June 7, 2010 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Non-Fiction / 0 Comments

Made In America by Bill BrysonTitle: Made in America (Goodreads)
Author: Bill Bryson
Published: Avon, 1994
Pages: 415
Genres: Non-Fiction
My Copy: eBook

Buy: Amazon (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

Although I don’t live in America, it is obvious that they have had a big influence on the English language. Bill Bryson’s Made In America explores the history of America and the effects it had on the language. I found the most interesting parts to do with censorship in America, from titbit becoming tidbit, cockroach becoming roach and to the extreme case of political correction which wanted to stop the use of terms like blackeye and blacksmith (but interestingly enough, not blackout). I feel I’ve gained some valuable insight into why American English is different to the commonly used Queens’ English, while getting a history into commonly used terms. Bill Bryson writes in such a way that it makes this book easy to read and at times humorous, which I feel is what you want in a Non Fiction book.