There was another of those "OH!" squawks from me as I read it during a section on place names because Oughtibridge (where my parents live) got a mention with, apparently, 4 pronunciations. That is something that I can directly check out next time I'm there.
But I also have to mention that I don't agree with everything Bryson writes in this book, but that just goes to show how language evolves. I also spotted one or two spelling mistakes (admittedly, one was in a German word) which annoyed me.
Generally it was very interesting to read this one, I've previously read Melvyn Bragg's The Story of English which was rather excellent (I got the impression that Bryson didn't like that book)
The biggest problem with this novel is that it really concentrates and focusses on the similarities and differences between British and American English - which is obviously where his expertise lies. But I'd like to have seen a lot more discussion about Australian, New Zeland, Canadian and South African English to start with.
The other thing is that at a distance of a little over 20 years since this book was read we have experienced the communication explosion that is the internet and a whole lot of us are communicating in English with people who speak a very different dialect, or speak English as a second or third language. That means we're exposed to a lot of different aspects of the language compared to people who will have read this book when it first came out.
But it was an enjoyable read and I can recommend it to anyone who is interested in languages generally, and the English language and its development specifically.
6 comments:
Being an international language is a two-edged sword indeed. On the one hand, you can go to many places without bothering to learn any different language. On the other hand, finer nuances may get lost as more people speak less academic English; and pronunciation may evolve (I mean, 8 ways to pronounce -ough? Gee.)
They say that Spanish is easier as far as the correspondence between spoken and written is concerned.
Speaking of language, I believe there is a stray ' in your last sentence.
Yes, it's true that we native speakers of English have been getting terribly lazy lately and expecting everyone else to do the work.
But I think not speaking a 2nd (or 3rd) language puts you at a disadvantage sometimes. And certainly through having learned other languages (with differing levels of success) I've come to appreciate English more. And I really really am definitely sure that I am glad that I don't have to learn it as a foreign language.
I've fixed that naughty '. Thanks!
More languages also means enjoying more jokes :-D
But you have to admit, that you have to have a very high level of skill in a language (yes, I'm looking at you with envy in my eyes...) to enjoy a joke in a language that isn't your other tongue.
I remembre the first time I managed to tell a joke in German, understand it properly and people laughed. Along with dreaming in German it was an indication that I really can speak the language well.
Ah yes, I admit. But still, sometimes I don't get them, and feel like Data when I ask for explanation :-D
It is actually not just jokes, but somehow it is jokes which made me realise (maybe because some of them don't translate well and thus tend to be kept within a country). But in general knowing the language allows you to get a bigger library, see more movies, etc. I realised that relatively recently while learning Greek.
Hey, I am envious too: people still don't laugh at my jokes. Even in French ;-)
One thing about jokes is that even if you don't get them, they still tell you a lot about culture of the language they're being told in. To a certain extent.
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