Made in America
An Informal History of the English Language in the United States
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · October 23, 2001
“A literate exploration of why we use—or mangle—our native tongue.”—USA Today Bill Bryson celebrates America’s magnificent offspring in the book that reveals once and for all how a dusty western hamlet with neither woods nor holly came to be known as Hollywood…and exactly why Mr.
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- Who it’s for
- A lively look at how English took its own peculiar turns in the United States.
- Themes
- American English history, Word and place-name origins
- Genres
- Word Origins, U.S. History, Humor Essays
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Start with this bookAbout this book
“A literate exploration of why we use—or mangle—our native tongue.”—USA Today Bill Bryson celebrates America’s magnificent offspring in the book that reveals once and for all how a dusty western hamlet with neither woods nor holly came to be known as Hollywood…and exactly why Mr. Yankee Doodle call his befeathered cap “Macaroni.”
Language, Unbuttoned
A lively look at how English took its own peculiar turns in the United States.
Come here for
- Curious detours into American words and expressions
- The origins behind “Hollywood” and “Yankee Doodle”
Expect
- An informal history of English in America
- A playful focus on how language gets used—and mangled
Where it sits
| Word Origins | 86% |
|---|---|
| U.S. History | 36% |
| Humor Essays | 26% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Education Resources
- North American History
- History Resources
- 19th-Century America
Show all 8 publisher categories
- 20th-Century America
- Social History
- Humor Essays
- Creative Writing
- Authors
- Bill Bryson
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- October 23, 2001
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- American English history · Word and place-name origins
- Reading lane
- Education Resources