Also by Bill Bryson

464 Pages·2003·11.34 MB·English

Also by Bi Bryson

‘THE LOST CONTINENT
MOTHER TONGUE
[NETHER HERE NOR THERE
NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND
'AWALK IN THE WOODS,
NOTES FROM A BIG COUNTRY
MADE IN AMERICA

Bill Bryson

fllustrations by Brace McCall

BLACK SWAN
Mabe ame,
a mnace AN ROR: BS 9502

cima pte 9 Cou nna
Nar ee Wars

soon & Warangal pbided 19
‘Mian etn od 985
ibe Sean eo plied 1998
orb i Ren 1788

Mascaton nye 9 Mas ta

To eo BU Mono bee ashe ute fo,
‘MOR ron eet mre sone a
ite cenit rien ond ens or

Gardior ute
ha bok sl mye ois anal nt
‘Sian nding sam Eg etl ow

Bi San Rena are led by Toran aha,
at ee Rea, pedo 5
tds y adam Fae Aaa ytd
an eS hong ope. 8 3 Se,
tu Sat Ais by ands Hae fe Le
ada Ji Rods ko 23 Soo Ai

ep pnal and tnd i Grea by
ag Se ge
To David, Felicity, Catherine and Sam
Contents

3 A*Demecrac Pray’: America in the Age of Revolution
4 Making Nation
5 By eee Dae’ Fay Ligh Forging a National Tdesicy
& Were in the Money: The ge of Ievenion
7 Naroes
6 "Manifest esting’: Taming he West
9: The Menge: Imigrain n America
25 Shes the Geing wes Goad: Tiavel in Aaseica
14 What's Cooking Eaingin Asssica
12, Detwceatining Lnxity: Shopping in Asia
23 Domenic Mater
1 The Had Sell Reversing in Ameicn
15 The Movies
14 The PuruicofPleasue: Spor and Pay
117 Of lambs and Bunkurn:Polics and War
18 Sex and Other Dsurations
8 The Road fom Kary Hash
‘20 Weleame to the Space Age The ug sos and Beyond
2 American Engh loday

Nowe
Sele Mbliography
(dee
List of Hustrations

Founding Fathen’ Dap, Pymouth Rock :

Dame ollvay and Her ChoosChoo Coury
‘Cineianslonmamgery Foe, +852 »

Lexus show you fot ust $x — host 0 pack IG
‘ig inn al packages! oa

Hoplok'aming catch inthe 1946 Wold Sees 323,
Wing dining omenbere over France. 529385
[New as nuclear Gsson and owice ax power —

‘dats ie new, awareness be
Balgemobile!! yor
Acknowledgements

“Among he many pole 1 wars Fantini
[rer and encouragement dong the pe

ofthis book 7058) Bhs epeoal other
‘Gaarnsscel, Coif Migan, May Genera, Cool
estan. Dan Franktin, Anew Frvaklin, Jobe Bric,
ila Zwingl, Karin Voelkening, Giver Sateen,
Hobie snd Lows Moers, Hed Da Bel mer Marsles,
Stawd H. Beamederle, Benita Lasre Blinn,
Beleho L Sommer, Allan M, Sega, Bruce Corson.
dnd the staffs ofthe Drake University Lbnasyn Do
‘Mowes and the National Geographic Seiery Libree
fn Washington. Above ally ana 25 ever, ay ioe
ean chats and adveaaon mo my wit, Cyndi
Introduction

Inthe roqos, Brituh ravellero Anholi, small island Sty miles
‘ht ia the Kanepar strat berwaen Demat and Sweden, noced
‘that the sland cldren sang a plece of doggerel that wos dearly
ransenae to them. Fr went

Jes og 1
ert op de tt
Og Je Kon tomnbling abe,

‘The diny, ic rumed our, had been broughe > the island by
ccouprng British soldiers during che Napolconic wars, and had
bean handed down from generation to generation ofcilden for
1y0 Year, eventhough the words meant nothing tothe.

In London, cis small covery wes reeived with interest by a
couple nated Pece 2nd lona Opie. The Opies had dediated it
lives eo de schol purtait of mueery eymes. No cme had pat
mere efforc ine investigating the hiory and discibvtin ofthese
usable but largely umedebrated componente of cond Iie.
Something rathadiong pizzedthe Opes asthe carious fate of
tymecalled Brow Bender. Once ss popultr ae Hamper Dam”
and "lckory Dickery Dock’, it was routiely fncladed in
childeens nursery books ap wal the ave cgheremtscepaury, Sut
the it quietly and eysteroosly vansed ead norheen recorded
Jn pac any wtee sace 1785, Thou ae ight wy Une Opio® way
‘was tacking ther childcen in wo be they oresbeaed he ecing =
Ibaneryshyene to thet Te mas, 90 ou il have gored, Brow
Rend? exuely a ace down in che 1788 version cad with Be lines
ever belare recorded.
Maden Ameria

Nw what, you may srasonsbly ah, docs aay ofthis have 10
do with'a bosk on the history and develope ofthe Engfich
language in Arovca® I bring it up for eto reasons, Fest, ©
‘make the poine chat its often the ike, wanotied dings tha ae
mest courting about che history and aarure of language
Nrsey shymes, for evample, ste fasidicusle techn to
change, Even witen vey male no sense, as in dhe case of Jack
and jill with ikem. on an isolated Danish ik, they ate
feacrally passed ffor generation 10 geacraGon with solemn
rection, lke a treasure incanratian, Becaute of hi, they are
fren among dhe longestsurivng features of any language.
"Eel, serie, mine, D0" i based on 4 coundiog syStem that
predates the Roman occupation of Britain, and that may even be
re-Cele 130, it one of our Few Sucviting Hs ith he ery
Astaat past. Ie not only gees un a Fagmemary image of bow
childten sete being ariased at the tte that Stonehenge was
bul, bur es us something abou hove their eblers counted and
thought and ordered ther speech. Litde things, in short, ae
‘worth leaking at

“The second pola i cha songs, words, phrases, dithes = any
feature of language ata — ean survive for Jong petinds witout
anyone paricalarly noring, asthe Opes discovered with "Brow
Bender: That a word or phrase hush boc eevarded tall us
‘ly tac ihaset been resoeded, noe dha ic hase’ existed. The
Jnhabicanes of England in che age of Chaucer commonly wsed an
‘expreton, fo be it hide and alr, xcaning c0 be lose beyond
“dscovery. Bar thea i disappears ftom the weit record fer four
Tuned yeers belore cenytacing, vddenly and wnerpecally, ix
‘Arseiea la £857 25 nether bide nor hai ies cleatly wally
‘that che phrase went int a lingunsti coma foc four exturies. So
so wat quietly preserving i for four hundred yeas, and why
<i ie so abropeyEeear co prominence in he sath decade ofthe
inetceth coma 3 entry to theweand wile away?

‘Why, came ro chat, did the Americans save auch good old
English words 2b shedaddte and ciltelings and chore, but not
fortnight or becth? Why did they Keep the ivepular British
[prosuncatons in words Uke colonel and beorth, but go out cw
‘way with lextenant and schedide and clerk? Why tn shorts
‘American English the way iis?
Amerean Engle Today
This iseerarto me, a profoundly worthwhile and fatcnaing
question, and yer wn atively zecen mes is ne cat berely
‘ryone thought ro ak, Une wel tno this cent si edict
Of American porch were le slow entirely armetonte~ pape
like the heroic Richard Harwood Thomo, an Englibom
lawyer who devored years of hi spare time fo poring heoseh
books, jonreals aed magoscrpc from the care colottl pend
insearchof the frst appearances ofhundreds of America tems. In
‘iota be produced the ewo-volume America Glossary, was &
‘work of invaluable scholarship yet he could not find 4 single
‘American publaher prepared to ‘ake ican, Everall, eo the
‘thame of Amecican schelacship, twas published i Load,

Noc un the ¥9202 and jos, ith the successive pubiatons of
HL. Mencken's incomparable The Amcricen Lene, George
Philip Krapp's The English Language or America, and Sit Wiliam,

agi an James K. Hulbert’ Dicnonary of America Bichon
lusoricel Pimples did Amica st Ws fet books thet set oly
‘adresse che questian of ks language. But by then the inspraion
behind nany Hundreds of Anvrican expeessons had pasted ito
‘he zea ofthe unknowable, 39 thar sow mo one can 437
‘Smericans puits the row re alk srkey, take a powder ot ic
ease is wih = feng ut

‘This book is a trodest arempe co cxamine how aad why
‘American speech came $0 be the way iis. Kis nor, Lope, &
‘coavewional hinory of the Amevican lngnage, Much of fei
luszshamedly discursive. You could be excused for woadering
‘sha Mise Seayverant Fih'suoing over her servant chee snes in
‘aoceeion with her carat to do with thebintory and devslopmcat
‘of he English language nthe United Stter,or ow Jemes Gordon
Bennea’s Lifelong babi of yanking the cloths from every ele he
[pused in a restaurant connects fo thelingtstic development af the
‘American people Fwould argue tat eles re understand the
social context in which wards were formed ~ vile we can
‘appreciate whae a bewildering novely he car was to those who
fis encouneered i, ex how dangerously extravagant and out of
ouch withthe masses a turf he cenuty busines person ond
‘be = we cammor begin to appreciate the ichoess aud ray of he
‘words thar make American speech,

‘Oh, and U're incladed dhe for a thied earon: because thooght