The Mother Tongue book cover

The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson Summary

The Mother Tongue
Bill Bryson
3.91 (43705 Reviews)
History
Education
Communication skill
Resumen
Puntos Clave
Autor
Preguntas Frecuentes

Overview of The Mother Tongue

Bill Bryson's "The Mother Tongue" unveils English's chaotic evolution with infectious humor. Called "a motherlode of delectable trivia" by The New York Times, this 16-million-copy bestseller answers why we say "OK" and reveals English's quirky global conquest.

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Puntos Clave

1

A Language Born from Chaos

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Why does English dominate the globe when it's notoriously impossible to master? Consider this: a language that began as a minor Germanic dialect spoken by a few thousand rain-soaked islanders now serves 300 million native speakers and perhaps 400 million more who've wrestled it into submission. It's the tongue of international business, science, aviation, and even France's prestigious Pasteur Institute-despite French resistance to linguistic imports. What makes this conquest remarkable isn't just English's reach but its contradictions. It defies its own rules, drowns learners in irregular verbs, and hides meanings in idioms that mock logic. Yet it offers something irresistible: a vocabulary of 450,000-615,000 words compared to German's 184,000 and French's 100,000. This abundance allows nuanced expression impossible elsewhere, capturing shades of meaning other languages can't touch. English didn't conquer through elegance or simplicity-it conquered through sheer expressive power and adaptability.

2

The First Words: How Humans Learned to Speak

3

The Anglo-Saxon Foundation and Viking Influence

4

The Norman Conquest and Shakespeare's Revolution

5

The Chaos of English Spelling and Sound

6

Dialects and the Geography of Speech

7

English Conquers the World-But at What Cost?

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"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA
platform
comments
12
likes
117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
platform
star
star
star
star
star

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
platform
comments
12
likes
108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
platform
comments
254
likes
17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
platform
star
star
star
star
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"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
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96
likes
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP
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star
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"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon
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201
thumbsUp
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke
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"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn
platform
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37
likes
483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu
platform
star
star
star
star
star

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn
platform
star
star
star
star
star

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA
platform
comments
12
likes
117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
platform
star
star
star
star
star

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
platform
comments
12
likes
108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
platform
comments
254
likes
17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
platform
star
star
star
star
star

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
platform
comments
96
likes
4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP
platform
star
star
star
star
star

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon
platform
comments
201
thumbsUp
16

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke
platform
star
star
star
star
star

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn
platform
comments
37
likes
483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu
platform
star
star
star
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