History of English Words

History of English Words PDF Author: Geoffrey Hughes
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631188544
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
This book traces the remarkable reconfigurations that English lexis has undergone in the past millennium. The vocabulary is studied as an indicator of social change, a symbol reflecting different social dynamics between speech communities, on models of dominance, cohabitation, colonialism and globalisation. Comprehensive guide to the evolution of the English vocabulary. Well known passages from literature are used to illustrate the variety of English words. Accessible discussion of Latin, Greek, Germanic and Norman-French languages. Contains original research into the make-up of the current lexical core of English.

History of English Words

History of English Words PDF Author: Geoffrey Hughes
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631188544
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 448

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book traces the remarkable reconfigurations that English lexis has undergone in the past millennium. The vocabulary is studied as an indicator of social change, a symbol reflecting different social dynamics between speech communities, on models of dominance, cohabitation, colonialism and globalisation. Comprehensive guide to the evolution of the English vocabulary. Well known passages from literature are used to illustrate the variety of English words. Accessible discussion of Latin, Greek, Germanic and Norman-French languages. Contains original research into the make-up of the current lexical core of English.

English Words

English Words PDF Author: Donka Minkova
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521882583
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description
A new edition of this textbook discusses the learned vocabulary of English - the words borrowed from the classical languages.

History in English Words

History in English Words PDF Author: Owen Barfield
Publisher: SteinerBooks
ISBN: 1584205121
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
"The playful artistry of the Waldorf Alphabet Book speaks to the heart of childhood. These lively illustrations, so filled with color, movement, eloquent gesture, and invention conjure up long-forgotten memories of books from a time when pictures were still alive and spoke with power. Each page is a magical door, opening to the bright realm where stories are enacted, a realm of wonders accessible to children, artists, and ll those in whom the light of imagination shines. "The most important thing as you peruse the delightful pages of the Waldorf Alphabet Book with your child is the engaging conversation that flows between you as you search among the pictures for words." (from the afterword) In this delightful, bestselling alphabet and game book for young children, each consonant and vowel comes to life in vivid pictures that show each letter's unique qualities in the world. The vibrant and playful illustrations help children learn the alphabet in the most natural and living way. This expanded paperback edition includes a complete essay by master Waldorf teacher William Ward, "Learning to Read and Write in Waldorf Schools": This is the alphabet book for parents and teachers who want to encourage the most natural development in children. It is ideal for both at home and in the classroom. It also makes an ideal gift for your favorite young child or parents!

The Roots of English

The Roots of English PDF Author: Robert Claiborne
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 9780385414272
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Robert Claiborne gives readers a short history of the English language to show how most of the words we use today evolved from a single taproot language called Indo-European. This book is a must for all word buffs and language lovers; an intelligent and uniquely accessible examination of our vocabulary by a recognized authority.

The Origins of English Words

The Origins of English Words PDF Author: Joseph Twadell Shipley
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801896436
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 688

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Book Description
There are no direct records of the original Indo-European speech. By comparing the vocabularies of its various descendants, however, it is possible to reconstruct the basic Indo-European roots with considerable confidence. In The Origins of English Words, Shipley catalogues these proposed roots and follows the often devious, always fascinating, process by which some of their offshoots have grown. Anecdotal, eclectic, and always enthusiastic, The Origins of English Words is a diverting expedition beyond linguistics into literature, history, folklore, anthropology, philosophy, and science.

Borrowed Words

Borrowed Words PDF Author: Philip Durkin
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199574995
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 512

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Book Description
This book shows how, when, and why English took words from other languages and explains how to find their origins and reasons for adoption. It covers the effects of contact with languages ranging from Latin and French to Yiddish, Chinese, and Maori, from Saxon times to the present. It will appeal to everyone interested in the history of English.

Bad English

Bad English PDF Author: Ammon Shea
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0399165584
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
The author of Reading the OED presents an eye-opening look at language “mistakes” and how they came to be accepted as correct—or not. English is a glorious mess of a language, cobbled together from a wide variety of sources and syntaxes, and changing over time with popular usage. Many of the words and usages we embrace as standard and correct today were at first considered slang, impolite, or just plain wrong. Whether you consider yourself a stickler, a nitpicker, or a rule-breaker in the know, Bad English is sure to enlighten, enrage, and perhaps even inspire. Filled with historic and contemporary examples, the book chronicles the long and entertaining history of language mistakes, and features some of our most common words and phrases, including: Decimate Hopefully Enormity That/which Enervate/energize Bemuse/amuse Literally/figuratively Ain’t Irregardless Socialist OMG Stupider Lively, surprising, funny, and delightfully readable, this is a book that will settle arguments among word lovers—and it’s sure to start a few, too.

The Origins of English Words

The Origins of English Words PDF Author: Joseph Twadell Shipley
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801867842
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 688

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Book Description
There are no direct records of the original Indo-European speech. By comparing the vocabularies of its various descendants, however, it is possible to reconstruct the basic Indo-European roots with considerable confidence. In The Origins of English Words, Shipley catalogues these proposed roots and follows the often devious, always fascinating, process by which some of their offshoots have grown. Anecdotal, eclectic, and always enthusiastic, The Origins of English Words is a diverting expedition beyond linguistics into literature, history, folklore, anthropology, philosophy, and science.

The Multilingual Origins of Standard English

The Multilingual Origins of Standard English PDF Author: Laura Wright
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110687542
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 546

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Book Description
Textbooks inform readers that the precursor of Standard English was supposedly an East or Central Midlands variety which became adopted in London; that monolingual fifteenth century English manuscripts fall into internally-cohesive Types; and that the fourth Type, dating after 1435 and labelled ‘Chancery Standard’, provided the mechanism by which this supposedly Midlands variety spread out from London. This set of explanations is challenged by taking a multilingual perspective, examining Anglo-Norman French, Medieval Latin and mixed-language contexts as well as monolingual English ones. By analysing local and legal documents, mercantile accounts, personal letters and journals, medical and religious prose, multiply-copied works, and the output of individual scribes, standardisation is shown to have been preceded by supralocalisation rather than imposed top-down as a single entity by governmental authority. Linguistic features examined include syntax, morphology, vocabulary, spelling, letter-graphs, abbreviations and suspensions, social context and discourse norms, pragmatics, registers, text-types, communities of practice social networks, and the multilingual backdrop, which was influenced by shifting socioeconomic trends.

The History of English Spelling

The History of English Spelling PDF Author: Christopher Upward
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444342975
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
The History of English Spelling “Fifty years ago, G. H. Vallins contributed a book on spelling to the Language Library. Since then, there have been several major surveys, and new opportunities to explore the history of English words. The time is therefore ripe for a fresh presentation, and this is what George Davidson has done, building on the huge collection of historical data amassed by Christopher Upward, and giving it narrative shape. I have been waiting for a source-book like this for a long time, and I’m delighted that it has found a place in this series.” David Crystal, Language Library series editor Few languages are riddled with as many spelling inconsistencies and irregularities as English. Why is there such dissonance between the sounds of English and the spelling used to represent them? The answer lies in the history of the language itself. The History of English Spelling reveals the rich and complex history of Modern English spelling, tracing its origins and development from Old English up to the present day. The book provides a highly detailed, letter-by-letter analysis of the Old English basis of Modern English spelling, followed by in-depth coverage of the contributions from French, Latin, Greek and the many other languages that have contributed to current orthography. Upward and Davidson also explore events in the socio-political history of England as the setting for developments in spelling, along with the works of a number of lexicographers (especially Johnson and Webster), and various proposals for spelling reform. The History of English Spelling reveals the richness of the complex and often frustrating alphabetic spelling system used in the English language. A complementary website with additional research material can be found at www.historyofenglishspelling.info