a survey of the quirks and quandaries of the english language focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar why do we say i am reading a catalog instead of i read a catalog why do we say do at all is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values delving into these provocative topics and more our magnificent bastard language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history covering such turning points as the littleknown celtic and welsh influences on english the impact of the viking raids and the norman conquest and the germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century ad john mcwhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of english words and syntax patterns our magnificent bastard tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary maddening nature of englishand its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of britain this is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for and no its not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition