Among the many sweet things that happened to me during
my trip south last week was Bill Bryson's
Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way. I'd found the book at my favorite used bookstore near the Penn campus a week before. I'd tucked it into my bag last minute. It kept me all kinds of company in airport lounges and sleepless stretches. It became my very dear friend.
Published in 1990, superceded, but of course, by newfangled research,
Mother Tongue still felt fresh to me, unencrusted. Where did our compunction to speak come from? Why is English so pervasive, and so challenging? What is good English and what is bad? And where do words actually come from?
The facts, the trends, the particulars are frankly delightful. Especially to one such as me, who—out of boredom, lack of proper education, corroded memory, or (let's be honest) poor eyesight—can't seem to stop herself from stretching language in every conceivable direction.
Here is a bit of trivia that I'm sure Bryson hunted down just for me: "Shakespeare used 17, 677 words in his writings, of which at least one tenth had never been used before. Imagine if every tenth word you wrote were original."
Love that? I love it.
Among Shakespeare's contributions, according to Bryson, were "barefaced, critical, leapfrog, monumental, castigate, majestic, obscene, frugal, radiance, dwindle, countless, submerged, excellent, fretful, gust, hint, hurry, lonely, summit, pedant, and 1685 others."
Where would we be without those words? What would I, personally, do without both
lonely and
hurry? And what can we do to keep our language alive?
It all makes me wonder, on this snowy St. Patty's Day: What word would you contribute to the English language, if you could?
I’ve been asked by my friend, Brenda Sturgis, to join a blog hop with other incredibly talented writers. I was asked by several other folks… but she was quicker on the draw! Brenda has been a great friend for many years (and crit partner). One day, we’re going to meet somewhere between NC and Maine. […]
I reviewed this fabulous restaurant for www.wanderingeducators.com. If you’re ever in this area, you’ve got to eat here! Yum!
Yesterday my family stumbled upon one of the quaintest small Southern towns in the USA. Established in 1825, Bluffton, SC is situated just west of Hilton Head and half way between Savannah, GA and Beaufort, SC. During the 1850’s, visitors could stopover in Bluffton by way of steamboat. Following the capture of Fort Sumter, many SC island residents fled here, and the town soon became the headquarters for the Confederates. In 1863 Union forces destroyed much of the small town, leaving just a few buildings standing. It wasn’t until the late 1880s when the town started to rebuild.
Recently, the town of Bluffton has expanded and plans the development of more than 32,000 acres acquired through annexation. But the historic downtown remains and is a haven for artists. There are art galleries and antique shops, and during the summer months there is an excellent produce market in the street.
The shops have unique, high quality art, jewelry, wood pieces, antiques and more. And better yet, the people are so friendly, we found ourselves “getting stuck” inside their businesses for long periods of time while chatting. We ate lunch at the Calhoun Street Café, housed in a rickety old building. The food was fresh and delicious. Everywhere we went, we were stopped by dog-lovers. Our standard poodle, Gigi is hard to resist.
If you find yourself in coastal SC, don’t miss a visit to Bluffton! Click here for the website.
Donna,
I always enjoy reading your posts. Your voice shines through. It’s as hard to resist as one of your mama’s chocolate layored cakes–the best I ever tasted!
OOps…layered cakes!
yes, to all of the above!
I love the chalkboard theme of your blog!
It was fun reading your snazzy answers in the interview. I’ll be sure to hop on over and check out the other blogs. Have a fun day, Donna.