Blooming English: Observations on the Roots, Cultivation and Hybrids of the English Language - Hardcover

Burridge, Kate

 
9780521839488: Blooming English: Observations on the Roots, Cultivation and Hybrids of the English Language
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0521839483 ISBN 13: 9780521839488
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2004

Synopsis

English is the most creative, changeable and imaginative of languages. Some words are invented to meet temporary needs and are quickly discarded; others carry meanings hundreds of years old. Language fascinates us, and we spend a lot of time playing with it, concocting everything from puns, riddles and secret languages to wonderful prose and poetry. We also worry about it a great deal, looking up and checking words in dictionaries and usage guides, occasionally arguing about definitions. This book celebrates our capacity to play with language, as well as examining the ways we use it: in slang and jargon, swearing, speaking the unspeakable, or concealing unpleasant or inconvenient facts. It is a book for browsing, for finding beguiling snippets about language, history and social customs, and a formidable weapon in word games.

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About the Author

Kate Burridge is Professor of Linguistics at Monash University. She is well known for her broadcasts on ABC Radio's Soundback.

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Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publication date
2004
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0521839483
ISBN 13 
9780521839488
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
252

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780521548328: Blooming English: Observations on the Roots, Cultivation and Hybrids of the English Language

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0521548322 ISBN 13:  9780521548328
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2004
Softcover