The Story of English in 100 Words
by:
David Crystal (author)
In this entertaining history world's most ubiquitous language, linguistics expert David Crystal draws on one hundred words that best illustrate the huge variety of sources, influences and events that have helped to shape our vernacular since the word "roe" was written down on the bone ankle of a...
show more
In this entertaining history world's most ubiquitous language, linguistics expert David Crystal draws on one hundred words that best illustrate the huge variety of sources, influences and events that have helped to shape our vernacular since the word "roe" was written down on the bone ankle of a roe deer in the fifth century. Featuring ancient words (‘loaf'), cutting-edge terms that reflect our world (‘twittersphere'), indispensable words that shape our tongue ("and", "what"), and more fanciful words ("fopdoodle"), David Crystal takes readers on a tour of the winding byways of our language via the rude, the obscure, and the downright surprising.
show less
Format: paperback
ISBN:
9781250024206 (125002420X)
Publish date: 2013-03-26
Publisher: Picador
Edition language: English
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but what I got was a history of the English language based on 100 words. Crystal explores the origins of each of his 100 words in chronological order based on when they first appear (a few entries are more conceptual e.g. #60 Species is about the species...
An interesting collection of words that Crystal thinks defines the English language. Either because they are new, or have been borrowed from all the people that have invaded in the past. If you like language, well worth a read.
I love reading about etymology and the evolution of the English language, so I was predisposed to enjoy this one. The only problem I had was that it didn't feel long enough and I keep wanting each section to go into more depth, but that was a function of the intended structure of the book--briefly s...
If you love the interplay of words and researching where they came from, you'd enjoy this book. I know I did!
Log in with Facebook 
