How long does it take to read Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue the Untold History of English?
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue the Untold History of English by John H. McWhorter takes about 4 hours 13 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 4 hours 13 minutes
A weekend read
First published 2008. 230 pages, about 63,250 words.
9 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 7 hours 2 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 4 hours 13 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 2 hours 38 minutes |
The page count is the median across 1 edition, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
Why do we say "I am reading a catalog" instead of "I read a catalog"? Why do we say "do" at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, author McWhorter distills hundreds of years of lore into one lively history. Covering the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century AD, and drawing on genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, McWhorter ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English--and its ironic simplicity, due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados have been waiting for.--From publisher description.
Subjects: Etymology, Foreign elements, Languages in contact, Foreign words and phrases, History
