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Did you know that the English language has over 150 words for the adjective 'drunk' developed over 1,000 years? Be prepared to learn words you have never heard before, find out fascinating facts behind everyday words, and be surprised at how lively and varied the English language can be.
Published to critical acclaim in 2009, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is the first comprehensive thesaurus in the world to arrange words by meaning in order of first recorded use. Using its unique perspective on how the English language has developed, Words in Time and Place takes 15 themes and explores the language in these areas over time - explaining when new words appeared, where they came from, and what such changes say about times in which they emerged. The themes chosen are varied, universal topics and show the semantic range of the thesaurus and what it can tell us about the words used in areas of everyday life. Learn about the different words for dying and money, or types of pop music, as well as words for a privy, oaths, and words for being drunk.
Written by the world's leading expert on the English language, David Crystal, the book carries his trademark style of engaging yet authoritative writing. Each chapter features an introduction to the language of that topic, followed by a timeline of vocabulary taken from the historical thesaurus showing all the synonyms arranged in chronological order. The timelines are annotated with additional quotations, facts, and social and historical context to give a clear sense of how words entered the English language, when, and in which context they were used.
Words in Time and Place showcases the unique and excellent resource that is the Historical Thesaurus and reveals the linguistic treasures to be found within. This fascinating book will appeal to anyone with an interest in words and in the development of the English language.
List of contents
- General introduction
- Words in Time and Place
- 1: From swelt to zonk: words for dying
- 2: From neb to hooter: words for nose
- 3: From cup-shot to rat-arsed: words for being drunk
- 4: From meatship to trough, and nuncheon to short-eat: words for a (light) meal
- 5: From gong to shitter, and closet to the House of Lords: words for a privy
- 6: From dizzy to numpty: words for a fool
- 7: From darling to lamb-chop: words of endearment
- 8: From lo to knickers, and aplight to sapristi: oaths and exclamations
- 9: From guest house to floatel: words for inns and hotels
- 10: From meretrix to parlor girl: words for a prostitute
- 11: From mint to dosh: words for money
- 12: From smolt to untempestuous and reigh to ugly: words for calm and stormy weather
- 13: From ealda to geriatric, bevar to poppa stoppa, and trot to old boot: words for old person, old man, old woman
- 14: From skiffle to grime: words for types of pop music
- 15: From astronaut to Skylab: words for spacecraft
- Symbols and abbreviations
- Glossary
- Further reading and sources
- Chronological index of words
- Chronological index of people
- Chronological index of general topics
About the author
David Crystal is honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. He has written or edited over 1 books and published numerous articles for scholarly, professional, and general readerships, in fields ranging from forensic linguistics and ELT to the liturgy and Shakespeare. His books include the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (2nd edn 1997), the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (2nd edn 2003), Words, Words, Words (OUP 2006), and The Fight for English (OUP 2006).
Summary
How has the English language developed over time? How have words entered the English language, or changed their meaning? David Crystal takes us on a wonderful tour through the origins and evolution of 15 groups of words, from dying to spacecraft. His source is the monumental Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary.
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The book is a browser's delight.
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As a companion piece to the weightier and more expensive Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, or a more accessible and affordable alternative, Words in Time and Place is an invaluable and engaging whistle-stop tour of the English language. Reference Reviews, Sarah Powell
