TY  - BOOK
AU  - Bryson,Bill
TI  - The mother tongue: English & how it got that way 
SN  - 0688078958
AV  - PE1072 .B76 1990
U1  - 420/.9 20
PY  - 1990///
CY  - New York
PB  - W. Morrow
KW  - English language
KW  - History
N1  - Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-255) and index; The world's language -- The dawn of language -- Global language -- The first thousand years -- Where words come from -- Pronunciation -- Varieties of English -- Spelling -- Good English and bad -- Order out of chaos -- Old world, new world -- English as a world language -- Names -- Swearing -- Wordplay -- The future of English
N2  - The acclaimed author of The Lost Continent explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language
ER  -