Lashing out on English with Bryson’s Mother Tongue
<p>According to Google, almost 1.5billion people speak English in the world in 2023. A greater number would probably speak English to some capacity, even saying “Hello. How are you? I’m fine thanks. And you?” just like any Cambodian children with working vocal cords would greet any foreigner. But English isn’t really a practical language and Bill Bryson knows that. And as someone who had to learn English as a child (my mother tongue is Indonesian), and then having to teach it in Cambodia, I would agree with old mate Bill that English as a language is a bit of a cunt.</p>
<p><em>Mother Tongue</em> is everything to do around, about, concerning, regarding the English language: its birth and history, its etymology, its quirkiness, the ways non-native speakers are using the language and butchering to comedic heights, and the future of the language, which spoiler alert, seems to be in safe hands now more than ever. And though it reminded me of my linguistics class that I took a long time ago so I can hang out with my uni friends, English has a rich and confusing history with its own wealth of narrative.</p>
<p><a href="https://kit-teguh.medium.com/lashing-out-on-english-with-brysons-mother-tongue-c9566d84f269"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>