Author: Alex Horne
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0753547880
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 338
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Book Description
Alex Horne loves words. He loves them so much, in fact, that he's gone on a mental safari and invented some of his own ... all he needs to do now is get them into the dictionary. But, as Alex discovers, gaining entry into the official lexicon takes more than just a gentle word in the ear of the editor. Evidence is required - Alex needs what the dictionary authorities call a 'corpus' of examples, hard data showing that his new words are in widespread and long-term usage by people other than just him and his mum. So a corpus he resolves to create, no matter what obstacles he might meet on the way. This is the ridiculous story of one man's struggle to break into the dictionary. From covert word-dropping on Countdown to wilfully misinforming young schoolchildren, Alex tries it all in his quest for word-based stardom. Does he succeed? Exactly what is a 'mental safari'? And are you already using one of Alex's words without realising it? You won't regret spending your hard-earned honk on this hugely entertaining book.
Author: Alex Horne
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0753520443
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 336
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Book Description
Alex Horne loves words. He loves them so much, in fact, that he's decided to invent his own ... and get them into the dictionary. But, as Alex discovers, gaining entry into the official lexicon takes more than just a gentle word in the ear of the editor. Evidence is required - Alex needs proof that his words are being spoken by more people than just him and his mum. He needs what the dictionary authorities call a 'corpus' of examples, hard data showing that his new words are in widespread and long-term usage. So a corpus he resolves to create, no matter what obstacles he might meet on the way. This is the epic and ridiculous story of one man's struggle to break into the dictionary. From covert word-dropping on Countdown to wilfully misinforming schoolchildren, Alex tries it all in his quest for dictionary-based immortality. Does he succeed? Are you already using one of Alex's words without realising it? You won't regret spending your hard-earned honk on this hugely entertaining book.
Author: Julian Burnside
Publisher: Scribe Publications
ISBN: 1922247170
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 353
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Book Description
A bonzer discussion of the strange pedigree of the naughty, nice, and, sometimes, obscene English language. We live in a torrent of words — from radio and television, books and newspapers, and now from the internet. But, as Julian Burnside reminds us in this new edition of the bestselling Wordwatching, words are a source of both pleasure and power, and can be deployed for good or for ill. Comprising many essays, dealing with a vast array of subjects as diverse as deadlines, fancy words, the problems with ‘issue’, odd sounds, oxymorons, and the fallacy of ‘wading in’, Wordwatching is a fascinating demonstration of the power and the pleasure of the English language. Told with Julian Burnside’s sparkling wit, it is lively, illuminating, and perfect for every book-lover.
Author: Alex Horne
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0753519283
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 386
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Book Description
Alex Horne is not a birdwatcher. But his dad is, so with the prospect of fatherhood looming on his own horizon, Alex decided there was no better time to really get to know both his father and his father's favourite hobby. So he challenged his dad to a Big Year: from 1 January to 31 December they would each try to spot as many birds as possible; the one who spied the most species would be the victor. Along the way Alex would find out what makes his dad tick, pick up a bit of fatherly wisdom and perhaps even 'get into' birdwatching himself. Join Alex as he journeys from Barnes to Bahrain in this charming tale of obsession, manliness, fathers and sons, and the highly amusing twists and turns of a year-long bird race.
Author: Susan Tamasi
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136579052
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 401
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Book Description
This highly engaging textbook presents a linguistic view of the history, society, and culture of the United States. It discusses the many languages and forms of language that have been used in the US – including standard and nonstandard forms of English, creoles, Native American languages, and immigrant languages from across the globe – and shows how this distribution and diversity of languages has helped shape and define America as well as an American identity. The volume introduces the basic concepts of sociolinguistics and the politics of language through cohesive, up-to-date and accessible coverage of such key topics as dialectal development and the role of English as the majority language, controversies concerning language use in society, languages other than English used in the US, and the policies that have directly or indirectly influenced language use. These topics are presented in such a way that students can examine the inherent diversity of the communicative systems used in the United States as both a form of cultural enrichment and as the basis for socio-political conflict. The author team outlines the different viewpoints on contemporary issues surrounding language in the US and contextualizes these issues within linguistic facts, to help students think critically and formulate logical discussions. To provide opportunities for further examination and debate, chapters are organized around key misconceptions or questions ("I don't have an accent" or "Immigrants don't want to learn English"), bringing them to the forefront for readers to address directly. Language and Linguistic Diversity in the US is a fresh and unique take on a widely taught topic. It is ideal for students from a variety of disciplines or with no prior knowledge of the field, and a useful text for introductory courses on language in the US, American English, language variation, language ideology, and sociolinguistics.
Author: Pete May
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
ISBN: 1849545235
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 196
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Book Description
Philip Howard's legendary 'Lost Words' column has been appearing weekly in The Times for many years, wittily illuminating a raft of the most obscure, esoteric words the English language has to offer. At the same time, his 'Word Watching' puzzles have provided readers with the chance to pit their lexicographical skill against his tongue-in-cheek multiple-choice conundrums. This unique collection, bringing together the very best of all these, is a feast for word lovers. Here we can lament the disappearance of words like 'accismus' (an insincere and feigned refusal of something that is earnestly desired), and wonder why we ever thought we could do without 'zoilus' (a censorious, malignant or envious critic). And, once we have completed our journey through the dictionary entries time has forgotten, there's more fun to be had, as we ponder whether having a 'tirrit' means one is in possession of a trumpet, throwing a fit or the proud owner of a type of bird, and if the charge of being 'spissid' is a comment on one's girth, sobriety or resemblance to a javelin, either literal or metaphorical. Endlessly fascinating, Lost Words continues Philip Howard's amusing and informative tour of words that enrich the English language and would otherwise have been lost forever.
Author: Michael Walsh
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1405526424
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 276
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Book Description
The countdown to Armageddon begins . . . It began in California with a devastating biological attack - a horrifying display of home-grown terror - just weeks before the presidential election. For the White House, it is a political nightmare, as it threatens to plunge the country into panic and economic chaos. But for the US government's undercover agent Devlin, it is the ultimate warning. Devlin knows who's behind the mayhem. He knows who controls the media. And he knows that, unless he can stop it, the End of Days begins . . . right on Election Day.
Author: Julie Paschkis
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1627791035
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 34
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Book Description
Beautiful poems in English and Spanish celebrate a wide variety of animals in this bilingual kids book Flutter & Hum / Aleteo y Zumbido All sorts of animals flutter and hum, dance and stretch, and slither and leap their way through this joyful collection of poems in English and Spanish. Julie Paschkis's poems and art sing in both languages, bringing out the beauty and playfulness of the animal world.
Author: W. Foster
Publisher: Scribe Publications
ISBN: 1921844760
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
Do you know Why 'The dog followed Harry and I' Is Wrong? How to avoid the construction 'The reason why . . . was because'? When to use 'fewer' and when to use 'less'? All this; and more; was taught in Australian schools many decades ago.
Author: Kel Richards
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1460713257
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 229
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Book Description
The astonishing story of James Hardy Vaux, writer of Australia's first dictionary and first true-crime memoir If you wear 'togs', tell a 'yarn', call someone 'sly', or refuse to 'snitch' on a friend then you are talking like a convict. These words, and hundreds of others, once left colonial magistrates baffled and police confused. So comprehensible to us today, the flash language of criminals and convicts had marine officer Watkin Tench complaining about the need for an interpreter in the colonial court. Luckily, by 1811, that man was at hand. James Hardy Vaux - conman, pickpocket, absconder and thief, born into comfortable circumstances in England - was so drawn to a life of crime he was transported to Australia ... not once, but three times! Vaux's talents, glibness and audacity were extraordinary, and perceiving an opportunity to ingratiate himself with authorities during his second sentence, he set about writing a dictionary of the criminal slang of the colony, which was recognised for its uniqueness and taken back to England to be published. Kel Richards tells Vaux's story brilliantly, with the help of Vaux's own extraordinarily candid memoir of misdeeds - one of the first true-crime memoirs ever published. Kel's book combines two of his favourite subjects: the inventiveness, humour and origins of Australian English, and our history of fabulous, disreputable characters. With echoes of The Surgeon of Crowthorne as well as Oliver Twist, Flash Jim is a ripping read - especially for those who appreciate the power of words and the convict contribution to our idiom. PRAISE 'James Hardy Vaux was a con-man with a talent for words who wrote the first dictionary of Australian English. Kel Richards is a word-man with a talent for telling a stirring story about the con-man. In Flash Jim Kel Richards brings James Hardy Vaux to life as we haven't seen him before' - Emeritus Professor Roland Sussex, School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies, University of Queensland 'An engaging tale from a great student of our language about one of the conmen who gave Australia its character - and its distinctive slang' - Andrew Bolt, broadcaster and columnist 'One of the strongest bonds binding the people of Australia together is the Australian language. We speak a dialect of English richer and more colourful than most. When we call someone a "hoon" or invite a friend to a "barbie" we know immediately what we're talking about - but we have to translate for overseas visitors. This powerful cultural bond was, as Kel explains, built on four foundations. And the most colourful of those four was convict slang. The role that it played, and still plays, in the Australian language, and the story of the man who first recorded it is - as we used to say - a "ripping yarn". It makes a page-turning story' - Alan Jones, broadcaster and columnist 'There's never been a more important time to truly understand our Australian history and this book is a great introduction to the richness of our language and a wonderful window onto the real life of colonial Australia from my favourite wordsmith, Kel Richards' - Peta Credlin, broadcaster and columnist
