its greatest expression, Beowulf

Books One of the few ironies that the various nationalists groups and political parties which have frighteningly gained in popularity over the past few years is that the very language which they use to pass on their hateful messages and which they often suggest they’re defending is a product of the very things that they’re apparently fighting against. Even the words within the names of the organisations find their roots in old French and before that Latin, albeit modified through other influences across the years.

It’s just that intermingling that Melvyn Bragg investigates in his book, The Adventures of English: The Biography of a Language, the three hour abridged audiobook version of which I’ve lately listened too. Beginning at the point that old English arguably found its greatest expression, Beowulf, Bragg traces its development through invasion and immigration as it imported words from across the world gaining in complexity before the British Empire sent it back into the world were it developed and modified again.

The book covers much of the ground you might expect from the many hundreds of new words and new word usages Shakespeare dumped into the language to the endeavours of Dr Johnson to put all of that into alphabetical order (not the first dictionary it turns out - schoolteacher Robert Cawdrey offered a small volume in 1604). The whole epic sweep continues through to 2003 with texting abbreviations and a wink towards how English might not dominate now in the face of likes of Cantonese but remains a central interface in matters of politics and finance.

If nothing else, the book has increased my admiration for people for whom English is a second language, simply because of the idiosyncrasies they have to cope with. As Bragg asks, why is it one sheep but not many sheeps? Why one foot and two feet? And that’s just messing about with plurals. We also apparently, within our compressed landmass, have a much wider selection of dialects and accents than most countries especially the US, demonstrated in the excellent moment when Bragg recreates the Cumbrian language of his youth.

Actually, Bragg’s idiosyncratic reading is a definite reason to listen. Much of these three hours are delivered in the same brusque tone he employs to introduce the subject under discussion on Radio 4’s In Our Time, and we’re forever waiting for him to trail off into cueing in his guests “With me to discuss this is Jonathan Bate …” He’s also not one to take a breath – sometimes there’s barely a gap between what sounds like a chapter ending and the introduction of the next subject – but you sense its because he’s enjoying the chance to communicate his subject again on something other than the page.

In other words, there's more than enough verbal ammunition here, should you be in the misfortune of speaking to someone represenenting one of the hateful groups mentioned or just a garden-variety racist and unable to take the usual option of simply walking away. Tell them every word that comes out of their mouth is to some extent foreign and hope that an existential crisis ensues. Though given what their belief system is based on a very narrow view of the world, it's unlikely they'll be that self aware to begin with.