by Melvyn Bragg (Author)
English is the collective work of millions of people throughout the ages. It is democratic, ever-changing and ingenious in its assimilation of other cultures. English runs through the heart of world finance, medicine and the Internet, and it is understood by around two thousand million people across the world. Yet it was very nearly wiped out in its early years. In this book Melvyn Bragg shows us the remarkable story of the English language; from its beginnings as a minor guttural Germanic dialect to its position today as a truly established global language. THE ADVENTURE OF ENGLISH is not only an enthralling story of power, religion and trade, but also the story of people, and how their day-to-day lives shaped and continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 354
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 13 Oct 2003
ISBN 10: 0340829915
ISBN 13: 9780340829912
Book Overview: This title ties in with a four-part ITV series. Melvyn Bragg's novel The Hired Man won the Time/Life Silver Pen Award. Without a City Wall was the winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. The Soldier's Return was published in 1999 and won the WHSmith Literary Award.