{"product_id":"the-mother-tongue-english-how-it-got-that-way","title":"The Mother Tongue - English \u0026 How It Got That Way","description":"\u003cp\u003eBryson covers the entire history of language, from the first crude murmurings of Neanderthal man thirty thousand years ago to the explosion of English as a global language in this century. We learn why island, freight, and colonel are spelled in such patently unphonetic ways, and four has a u in it but forty does not. A couple of quotes: “Any language where the unassuming word ‘fly’ signifies an annoying insect, a means of travel, and a critical part of a gentleman’s apparel is clearly asking to be mangled.” “There are more students of English in China than there are people in the United States.”, ISBN13: 9780965316590 ISBN10: 0965316599 Material Type: hardcover\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CheapBookDepot","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46112371048611,"sku":"S_STR_H0000FQ9","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0607\/9227\/5107\/files\/91BEXbHzUqL.jpg?v=1754652342","url":"https:\/\/usedbookdepot.com\/products\/the-mother-tongue-english-how-it-got-that-way","provider":"Used Book Depot","version":"1.0","type":"link"}