The Mother Tongue
English and How It Got That Way
Readers rate it 3.8 (155 on Hardcover)
276 pages · Released 2002 · Perennial
Content report card
The Mother Tongue parent’s guide: what’s inside
Violence
Sexual content
LGBTQ+ themes
Scary or mature
Substance use
What it offers
Positive role models
A note for parents
This is a popular, accessible history of the English language by humorist Bill Bryson that combines etymology, linguistic oddities, and historical anecdotes. The book is informative and entertaining for older middle-grade and high school readers interested in language and history. Bryson's humor occasionally includes mild profanity or crude references typical of his conversational style, though nothing graphic.
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