What is it all but words?

Ever wondered where the expressions "the real McCoy" or "warts and all" come from? If so, then Melvyn Bragg's 'The Adventure Of English' is for you.

The book details the history of the English language from its origins in Friesland in the Netherlands, through its growth and spread to America, Australia and India and throughout the world, right up to the development of new varieties of English as a consequence of the internet and mobile phone technology. Calling this history an "adventure" might seem a bit preposterous, but it really does read like a ripping good yarn, packed with fascinating trivia and anecdotes.

The book could so easily have been a dry and fusty scholarly work, but, although Bragg does call on the views of academics and linguists and incorporates a wealth of factual information, he never loses sight of his broad general readership. Part of what makes this book so enjoyable is the way that it is infused with the author's personality, with his infectious enthusiasm and passion for his subject.

It never quite becomes a romanticised eulogy, though. Bragg doesn't ignore the historical connections between language and imperialist power, and neither does he seize the opportunity to rail against "inferior" or slovenly varieties of English in the manner of a Daily Mail or Daily Telegraph columnist, instead celebrating English's rich diversity and the continual developments and offshoots which mark it out as a healthy and vital language.

What emerges as English's most impressive quality is the way that over the centuries it has come into contact time and again with other tongues, but has remained sufficiently resilient not to be wiped out, mainly by absorbing vast numbers of new words into its vocabulary rather than by obstinately refusing to engage with the languages of foreign lands.

Highly recommended for anyone with a love of language - or for anyone who delights in tasty etymological titbits.