Why Is This a Question?
Everything About the Origins and Oddities of Language You Never Thought to Ask
$27.00
- Paperback
320 pages
- Release Date
14 February 2024
Summary
Why don’t eleven and twelve end in –teen? The rest of our counting system sits in neatly arithmetical sets of ten, so why do these two rulebreakers seem so at odds with the numbers that follow them?
Admittedly, that question might never have occurred to you. But if you’re even remotely interested in the origins and oddities of language, you’re probably now intrigued to know the answer. Nor is it the only question: take a moment to think about how our language operates and even more sp…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781783967025 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1783967021 |
| Author: | Paul Anthony Jones |
| Publisher: | Elliott & Thompson Limited |
| Imprint: | Elliott & Thompson Limited |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 14 February 2024 |
| Weight: | 250g |
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Critics Review
’As entertaining as it is engrossing’ John Banville
’Enlightening, delightful’ Arthur der Weduwen, author of The Library
‘Every page will make you stop, think and wonder.’ James Hawes, author of The Shortest History of England
‘Enthralling, with a riveting “who knew?” moment on nearly every page.’ Caroline Taggart, author of Humble Pie and Cold Turkey
‘Deft, informative, and packed with fascinating morsels’ Lev Parikian, author of Light Rains Sometimes Fall
‘[Paul Anthony Jones is] a first-rate collector of linguistic curios’ Times Literary Supplement
Paul Anthony Jones
Paul Anthony Jones is something of a linguistic phenomenon. He runs the popular @HaggardHawks Twitter feed, blog, and YouTube channel, revealing daily word facts to 60,000 engaged followers.
His books include:
- Word Drops: A Sprinkling of Linguistic Curiosities (2015)
- The Accidental Dictionary (2016)
- The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities (2017)
- Around the World in 80 Words (2018)
He has also written several other books on trivia and language and has contributed to the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries online. He appears regularly in the media.
Paul is also a piano teacher and musician and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne.
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