“Righting the Mother Tongue” is an Eye-Opening Look at English Language
Bea’s Books
Have you ever thought about the English language? The language you speak, read and write? If you haven’t, “Righting the Mother Tongue: From Old English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling” will move you along said thinking journey at an astonishing pace!
I am a spelling fanatic that aspires to be a human spellcheck (I am very serious about this), and have always been curious about the unfortunate state of the English language. I have watched others and personally struggled with the oddities and inconsistencies that populate our language and, in picking up this book, both learned the “why” and was left asking myself “WHY?”
The author, David Wolman, begins with the roots of English and moves through time, connecting the dots and leading us up to modern changes to the language, or, rather, attempts at changes (more on this later). What really struck me about this book was the sheer amount of things I had simply never heard of but felt I should know, such as the major effect the Gutenberg press had on spelling and a look at how early scribes helped shape our language. I was also enlightened to learn of the existence of a group that has protested outside national spelling bees to push their agenda on a simplified language. These are just a few of my favorite sections, and, though I wish I could share more, do not wish to spoil any more exciting orthographic factoids.
In short, this book both captivated and overwhelmed me. The amount of information was impressive, but it was difficult to get through (as many non-fiction texts are) and it definitely took me longer than usual to finish. That said, Wolman’s humor brought me to the finish line and I found myself laughing so much more than I would have thought possible. As a lifelong reader and lover of words I found it to be fascinating, but completely understand if a deep dive into the spelling of the English language is not your cup of tea. Although it was an odd read, and certainly an odd book for me to review, I thought it to be worth a mention to all of you aspiring and accomplished spell checkers and grammar fanatics.
