The Secret Life of Words
How English Became English
$26.89
- Paperback
448 pages
- Release Date
1 May 2009
Summary
Communication is essential to our lives, but how often do we stop to think about where the words we use have come from? Have you ever thought about which words in English have been borrowed from Arabic, French or Dutch? Try admiral, landscape and marmalade just for starters.
The Secret Life of Words is a wide-ranging account not only of the history of English, but also of how words witness history, reflect social change and remind us of our turbulent past. Henry Hitchings del…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780719564550 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0719564557 |
| Author: | Henry Hitchings |
| Publisher: | John Murray Press |
| Imprint: | John Murray Publishers Ltd |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 448 |
| Release Date: | 1 May 2009 |
| Weight: | 322g |
| Dimensions: | 198mm x 164mm x 30mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
Hitchings’s excavations are a treat. He presents the best gleanings of academia in a winning, conversational style. Almost every spadeful yields an etymological nugget … elegantly and entertainingly written - Financial Times
[It] disentangles an intriguing narrative from a mass of information, revealing the distinct cultural climates that produced certain words and bearing witness to an increasing global language, always morphing into something new - GuardianA fascinating exploration of the rich borrowings, exchanges and couplings of the language - Ben Macintyre, The TimesHitchings delves into words, resurfacing with their surprising origins - The TimesIt is a book that brings etymology fizzingly alive … it teems with vivid, quirky evidence of the way the English vocabulary bears continuing witness to our cultural history - Sunday TimesHis book is a patient, thorough and highly entertaining excavation - Sunday TimesHitchings’s examples cover the full span of English - ObserverExpert analysis … this is a wonderfully well-organised and entertaining book, which thoroughly deserved to win last year’s John Llewellyn Rhys Prize - Daily MailAbout The Author
Henry Hitchings
Henry Hitchings was born in 1974. Educated at the universities of Oxford and London, he wrote his doctoral thesis on Samuel Johnson; his book, Dr Johnson’s Dictionary, was published by John Murray in 2005. Henry Hitchings has also contributed to many newspapers and magazines.
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