{"product_id":"the-adventure-of-english-the-biography-of-a-language-9781611450071","title":"The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language","description":"Here is the riveting story of the English language, from its humble beginnings as a regional dialect to its current preeminence as the one global language, spoken by more than two billion people worldwide. In this groundbreaking book, Melvyn Bragg shows how English conquered the world. It is a magnificent adventure, full of jealousy, intrigue, and war--against a hoard of invaders, all armed with their own conquering languages, which bit by bit, the speakers of English absorbed and made their own. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Along the way, its colorful story takes in a host of remarkable people, places, and events: the Norman invasion of England in 1066; the arrival of \u003ci\u003eThe Canterbury Tales\u003c\/i\u003e and a \"coarse\" playwright named William Shakespeare, who added 2,000 words to the language; the songs of slaves; the words of Davy Crockett; and the Lewis and Clark expedition, which led to hundreds of new words as the explorers discovered unknown flora and fauna. \u003ci\u003eThe Adventure of English\u003c\/i\u003e is an enthralling story not only of power, religion, and trade, but also of a people and how they changed the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Arcade Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781611450071\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.20d","brand":"Melvyn Bragg","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38026338992309,"sku":"9781611450071","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_213b7292-e889-42b5-8f0c-808d68f535fe.jpg?v=1609190174","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-adventure-of-english-the-biography-of-a-language-9781611450071","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}