Divided into sections about menstruation, lust, reproduction, nurturing, working and aging, Mother Tongue also explores words describing male violence and emerging feminist language.

Nuttall puts together a lexicon that, like a thesaurus, limits meaning to a few synonyms while seeming to expand it.

A nimble treatment of history that blends lexicographical analysis with personal reflections.

Scholarly and authoritative, but joyful, never dry, leavened with vivid etymological tidbits and Nuttall’s wry asides..

Each chapter roves through time, picking salient points that result in a narrative, not a glossary. This makes Mother Tongue feel better suited to someone wishing to muse and draw connections than someone concerned with mapping changes over an exact interval.

Nuttall...brings humor and a merry curiosity to her examination.

An eye-opening survey.