The Secret Life Of Words

Informationen zum Autor Henry Hitchings was born in 1974. He has contributed to many newspapers and magazines, and is theatre critic for the Evening Standard . Klappentext 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 delves into our promiscuous language and reveals how and why it has absorbed words from more than 350 other languages many originating from the most unlikely of places, such as shampoo from Hindi and kiosk from Turkish. From the Norman Conquest to the present day, Hitchings narrates the story of English as an archive of our human experience and uncovers the secrets behind everyday words. This is a celebration of our language; after reading it, you will never again take the words we use for granted. Zusammenfassung Journey into the history of English and discover how words have been absorbed into our language to make it what it is today.

Product details

• Authors: Henry Hitchings, Hitchings Henry
• Publisher: John Murray
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 02.04.2009
• EAN: 9780719564550
• ISBN: 978-0-7195-6455-0
• No. of pages: 448
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 200 mm x 27 mm
• Series: John Murray Paperbacks
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > English linguistics / literary studies; Englisch, Etymologie, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / General, Language: history & general works, Language: history and general works, Non fiction: current affairs