The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English,Books,0374254109,

	The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English by Henry Hitchings
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Product Details Binding Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number 422 EAN 9780374254100 ISBN 0374254109 Manufacturer Farrar, Straus and Giroux Number Of Items 1 Number Of Pages 448 Publication Date September 16, 2008 Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux Release Date September 16, 2008 Availability Usually ships in 24 hours Product Description Words are essential to our everyday lives. An average person spends his or her day enveloped in conversations, e-mails, phone calls, text messages, directions, headlines, and more. But how often do we stop to think about the origins of the words we use? Have you ever thought about which words in English have been borrowed from Arabic, Dutch, or Portuguese? 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 language and vocabulary, but also of how words witness history, reflect social change, and remind us of our past. Henry Hitchings delves into the insatiable, ever-changing English 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 a living archive of our human experience. He uncovers the secrets behind everyday words and explores the surprising origins of our most commonplace expressions. The Secret Life of Words is a rich, lively celebration of the language and vocabulary that we too often take for granted. This historical tour of the English lexicon considers words as etymological �fossils of past dreams and traumas,� revealing the preoccupations of the ages that produced them. The nineteenth century�s �cult of fine feelings� gave currency to �sensibility� and �physiognomy�; �popery� and �libertine� sprang from the religious skepticism of the sixteen-hundreds. Many such relics began as imports: centuries of Anglophone empire-building have occasioned borrowings from some three hundred and fifty languages, including Arabic (�sash�) and Sanskrit (�pundit�). The chapters are loosely focussed on different themes, but trade is a constant thread: �tycoon� comes from taikun, a Japanese honorific picked up on Commodore Matthew Perry�s eighteen-fifties mission to open the ports of Japan. Hitchings offers a rich array of anecdotes and extracts, but the absence of a strong over-all argument deprives his account of momentum. Copyright ©2008 Click here to subscribe to The New Yorker Words are essential to our everyday lives. An average person spends his or her day enveloped in conversations, e-mails, phone calls, text messages, directions, headlines, and more. But how often do we stop to think about the origins of the words we use? Have you ever thought about which words in English have been borrowed from Arabic, Dutch, or Portuguese? 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 language and vocabulary, but also of how words witness history, reflect social change, and remind us of our past. Henry Hitchings delves into the insatiable, ever-changing English 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 a living archive of our human experience. He uncovers the secrets behind everyday words and explores the surprising origins of our most commonplace expressions. The Secret Life of Words is a rich, lively celebration of the language and vocabulary that we too often take for granted. Henry Hitchings was born in 1974. Educated at the universities of Oxford and London, he is the author of Defining the World and has contributed to many newspapers and magazines. Customers who bought this item also bought Alphabet Juice: The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words, and Combinations Thereof; Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips, and Secret Parts, ... With Examples of Their Usage Foul and Savory Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English "Have You Seen . . . ?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films Outliers: The Story of Success American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Customer Reviews for: The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English Rating - Full of facts, dry as a bone The Secret Life of Words is most certainly a scholarly work, and that is its strength. It's encyclopedic in its scope, and presents a detailed account of large-scale trends that shaped the modern English language. That said, the biggest weakness of the book is its failure to engage me as a passionate fan of history. The writing style is cramped and harsh, and it reads as poorly as one of the dictionaries in the author's field of expertise. I could only recommend this book to serious etymologists; ... Read More Rating - Packed with insights and offers a lively tone Words are key to everyday living and an average person spends the day immersed in using them but how many think about usage and its evolution? THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS offers a history of the English language and vocabulary changes over the decades but goes a step beyond competing books in analyzing how word choices observe and record history, reflect social change, and document or change the past. From word originals and their cultural connections to the evolving meaning of everyday expressions, THE SECRET LIFE ... Read More Rating - Words & Wit & Wisdom Many self-confessed bibliomaniacs and word junkies first discovered Henry Hitchings on the publication of his first book, a creative look at Samuel Johnson and his great Dictionary, some two years ago. Now Hitchings delivers a second book targeted at the same crowd, one with a far greater scope and thus a massive challenge for even the most talented non-fiction writer: nothing less than the evolution of the English language. Thankfully, what could have been a dry and overly-academic narrative is transformed ... Read More see more reviews See all books by author Henry Hitchings

Books : The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English