English is weirdly different from other languages

Re:English is weirdly different from other languages by Veratyr on Wednesday May 31, 2017 @04:07PM (#14455497)

In case anyone is interested in the history of the English Language, Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue (https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Tongue-English-How-That/dp/038...) is a pretty easy and informative read.

Actually had it set as required reading in high school English of all things.

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Re:English is weirdly different from other languages by ThinkingGuy on Wednesday May 31, 2017 @04:14PM (#14455540)

Another recommendation: the History of English Podcast, by Kevin Stroud. http://historyofenglishpodcast.com/

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Re:English is weirdly different from other languages by Balgair on Wednesday May 31, 2017 @06:10PM (#14456330)

I'll add another one: 'The Story of English' from a Canadian bloke here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj9jJiPwsp0

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Re:English is weirdly different from other languages by Mediterraneo10 on Wednesday May 31, 2017 @04:54PM (#14455834)

Oh, God no. Bill Bryson is not a linguist and has no real grounding in the field, and "The Mother Tongue" has been criticized for decades for its abundance of factual errors, misunderstandings, and urban myths. There is a significant mistake on nearly every page of the book. Some of the reviews on the Amazon product listing that you link to discuss this in detail.

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Re:English is weirdly different from other languages by Veratyr on Wednesday May 31, 2017 @05:08PM (#14455926)

I apologize, I wasn't aware of that. I read it in high school so didn't hear much about it elsewhere.

Can you recommend a good, approachable alternative?

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