English, from the Creole tongues to the British Isle, is a gluttonous language. It gulps down foreign words, gains weight, lumbers around the planet, and often forgets to listen to reason. It’s also a flexible, rather affable language that loves nothing more than playing pranks on foreigners and native speakers alike. It’s been around for centuries and will probably be here for quite a while longer.
Bill Bryson, author of my summer book The Mother Tongue: English And How It Got That Way, was not shy when it came to language. In fact, he was delighted with it to a degree that rivaled Ms. Erdrich’s skunk obsession. And it showed. Every page brought me a laugh, whether Bryson was delving into the Anglo-Saxon mind or the so-called ‘grammar’ of English (most of which, as you’ve probably guessed, are mere suggestions, thus rendering English classes bunk. Sorry, Mr. Kunkle!) Whether you’re looking into the linguistic field or just wondering where swearing came from, I highly recommend this book. Spelling is addressed (or maybe ‘addrest’, depending on what century you’re from), foreign languages and their contribution to English, where wordplay came from, and even the merry-go-round of word meanings.
Racism and the oppression of free speech were also examined. Yes, English is highly expressive. Yes, we use words in ways that other languages cannot. And, yeah, it’s everywhere. However, except with that last affirmation, every language could view itself that way. While it may be cumbersome, there’s no reason for there to be any animosity just because Johnny says ‘cat’ and Pedro says, ‘gatto’. It’s one thing to be proud of your native tongue, another completely to open a firing squad because people feel the same way about their own.
Right now, I’m leaning toward lingustics where college is concerned. This book helped greatly. If I were to only remember one thing from this book, it would be this: Language is about expressing oneself, not suppressing. It’s for communicating and bringing people together. Let’s not freak out about it, shall we?
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This book sounds interesting. I don't know if the book discusses it, but I know there has been a debate going on whether we need a universal language, whether it be English or otherwise. I personally don't see this as a really viable option. English is a difficult language to learn, which would be a major obstacle to using it universally.
ReplyDelete"Mere suggestions"? That's a bit strong for my prescriptive tastes, but I've enjoyed what Bryson I've read, and you make this book sound compelling. Also, it's FRICKING AWESOME that you're "leaning toward linguistics"; I wish more people leant that way.
ReplyDeleteAnd Kevin, the correct choice for a universal language is Latin. Chinese too complicated to learn and difficult to transcribe, and English has too many quirks and too long a history of cultural imposition. The only logical choice for everyone is a language which belongs to no one. Latin no longer belongs to a single nation, but has served as a diplomatic and multinational standard before. It is still a bit Eurocentric, I know. I would suggest an artificial or constructed language (possibly Sindarin), but we all saw how that went with Esperanto (which was pretty Spanish). Latin has a rich and complex vocabulary suited to political discussion.