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The Adventure of English
- The Biography of a Language
- Narrated by: Robert Powell
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
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The Adventure of English
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Summary
This is the remarkable story of the English language; from its beginnings as a minor guttural Germanic dialect to its position today as a truly established global language.
The Adventure of English is not only an enthralling story of power, religion, and trade, but also the story of people, and how their lives continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.
Critic reviews
"Both entertaining and informative." (Booklist)
"This 'biography' succeeds in its broad, sweeping narrative." (Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about The Adventure of English
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ben in Herefordshire
- 03-06-22
very enjoyable
This very enjoyable book is superbly narrated and surprisingly captivating, even on its second listening.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR Allen
- 06-08-23
What a journey
What a unique language
So good to find out more about it.
Sometimes shocking, sometimes funny
An insight into an evolving process
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- R Jarrald
- 18-04-24
An excellent companion to understand the story of English
Well read, from an excellent source text. Expansive and erudite. If you are interested in languages and language then I'd recommend it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Peter
- 26-01-09
Very educational
Fascinating book, which captures a mass of interesting facts about the English language inside a well narrated and informative history. Highly recommend it to someone interested in the roots of the language from the 5th century onwards - this is a very accessible listen and I would go so far as to say it is indeed an adventure to listen to. It touches on the way English spans the globe in it's many forms and derivatives and why it is such an extensive, flexible language.
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13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- John Blackmore
- 23-12-12
Fascinating
A really good listen for anyone interested in the English language. Some of the information presented I already knew but overall I realize how little I knew about my own language. As always the narration is as important as the book itself. Robert Powell can always be relied upon to keep me interested. I will certainly be listening to this book again.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Alan Coady
- 25-08-16
It's all about the sound
If you could sum up The Adventure of English in three words, what would they be?
Logophile's anthropomorphic dream
What did you like best about this story?
This was a lesson in history as much as language. I had been unaware of the contributions of, say, Alfred (The Great) and Henry V to the preservation of the language.
What about Robert Powell’s performance did you like?
If anyone required convincing of the qualities of audio books vs. reading, this book would be my choice. Robert Powell is the ideal narrator to familiarise us with: Old-English; Middle-English; uses of English in America, Australia, India, Caribbean, Japan etc.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
You never knew it was in peril so many times...
Any additional comments?
This book prompted me to my first use of ‘Clips’ which can be shared with friends by email, txt, WhatsApp etc. Editing them is very straightforward, once you've experimented a little.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Bryan
- 01-06-19
An Epic Adventure
An astonishing accomplishment, spellbinding, superb, mind-blowing, I am at a loss, this book is superb, incomparable etc, etc, I could go on and on but just sit back and enjoy the adventure.
Robert Powell reads with accomplishment and zest, his grasp of Old English or Saxon or any of the other ‘Tongues ‘for that mater is unbelievable.
The adventure of English is probably one of the best books I have ever ‘read’ and I plan to read it again soon just relive the wonder of it. It hits your brain with the power of a locomotive and leaves you grasping for more. Mr Bragg thankyou for one of my best reads in years.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Nic Blackwell
- 18-12-20
Well I never knew that!
I've always seen myself as a fluent reader and speaker but time and again this information-packed narrative surprised, educated and amused me. It also challenged some of my snobbier preconceptions about the place of 'English' English in relation to English used elsewhere in the world. Well done Melvyn. Well read Robert. Where does 'time and again' come from by the way? Where does 'by the way' come from? See what I mean?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dorothy & Joe Yeomans
- 27-12-18
What a pleasure!
Seldom do I have the good fortune to listen to such an interesting academic tale
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Vonnie Morse
- 16-01-22
Brilliant
Enjoyable from start to finish. A must have book. Brings in so much history too so never boring
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