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Liked It “Don't normally like Bryson's thoughts and judgements in his usual travel books...maybe I just don't like travel books as I would prefer to relate to my own travels....HOWEVER I found this absolutely delightful, entertaining and often amusing.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Don't normally like Bryson's thoughts and judgements in his usual travel books...maybe I just don't like travel books as I would prefer to relate to my own travels....HOWEVER I found this absolutely delightful, entertaining and often amusing.”
Trish wrote this review Sunday, November 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Very educative, interesting, absorbing; and yet a few glaring gaps - for those that know, not everyone. The writer seems unaware of how much languages other than European influenced English, not only due to the colonial history but in fact much more and much longer ago.
Dr. J. G. wrote this review Tuesday, September 9 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Latin and Greek are thought to have stemmed from Sanskrt, and similarity of words between Indian languages and English stems from that much more often than from the liberal borrowing of Indian words staight lifted into English out of necessity of colonial era.
But even more surprisingly the writer is blissfully forgetful of the mediterraenean connections of Europe and west Asia, and when he asks about the enexplicability of roots of the word "bad" and a few others, one is tempted to rap knuckles and say, Arabic or Hebrew, dumbo, obvious, trivial!
Of course such gaps are glaring only because he is so good otherwise, unlike the generic compatriot or even a generic ancestral cousin from across the pond, whether in the isles or the continent (often worse than the isles in this regard). ”
“Read the audio version of this book. Another excellent outing by Bryson explaining word origins and the like. Written in the 80s and kind of shows it in certain things he writes about,but it doesn't take away from the book. Very entertaining and informative. Highly recommended.”
Brad B wrote this review Tuesday, June 3 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The US and the UK are often hailed as two countries separated by a common language. This goes a long way to dispel the myths about 'American misspelling'. Well crafted and often hilarious account of the differences in US and British English. Britons (and I am one of them) take note that much of the US version of the language was actually what was current in the UK at the time the settlers landed. An end to language snobbery I hope”
WarlockUK wrote this review Tuesday, August 14 2007. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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