Listen Now
Loading audio... Please wait for the audio to load before using controls.
0:0015:15
100%
Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: AudiobookHub Recommendation
Chapter 2: Many of the world’s languages ultimately trace back to a single common ancestor language.
Chapter 3: Repeated invasions of the British Isles reshaped and broadened the English language.
Chapter 4: As English evolved, new words emerged and old ones gained additional meanings over time.
Chapter 5: In the New World, words emerged via adaptation, and “America” resulted from a major early misunderstanding.
Chapter 6: Our surnames can uncover personal details about our families’ histories.
Chapter 7: Words may be entirely acceptable in one century yet become profane obscenities in the next.
Description
The Mother Tongue (1990) provides a unique and personal look at the history of the English language. You’ll learn how, thanks to its flexibility and adaptability, English has endured and flourished, despite centuries of invasions, uprisings and censorship.
Who Should Listen
- Historians
- Linguists
- Word lovers