The English Language
Published by The Folio Society, London, 2006
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Don's Book Store, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.Don's Book Store
AbeBooks seller since October 13, 1999
Condition: Used - Fine
£ 19.32
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
230 Pages Indexed. The title of this book is The English Language. It could just as well be called A History of The English Language. There are eleven illustrations. The Frontispiece is street entertainers reciting songs and poems, from Cries of London, 1760. This book is in near new condition as some would say it is gift quality. No defects noted. The endpapers are the same burgundy color. The boards are composed of green letters over a light tan background with a burgundy quarter/spine with gold lettering. All of this in an attractive burgundy slip case with no lettering. Interior text pages are bright, tight, and white. There never was a more sparkling refutation of Dr Johnson's famous definition of the lexicographer - a harmless drudge - than the life and work of Robert Burchfield. As Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, he made the English language news. Or perhaps more accurately, he recognised that what was happening to the mother tongue in the late twentieth century was unprecedented, and he used his position at Oxford to publicise the fact. Before Burchfield, the state of the language was an unreported story; after him, it was always a source of debate, and often a headline. Burchfield's foray into linguistic controversy occurred first in the late 1970s, a world now almost as unimaginably remote as the Regency. His thrilling and controversial thesis, which caught the imagination of young arts graduates like me, as well as the attention of the world's press, was simple enough, and linked to Britain's post-imperial twilight. According to Burchfield, English was like Latin. Just as, with the decline of the Roman Empire, Latin broke up into mutually unintelligible languages like French, Spanish and Italian, so in the course of many centuries, said Burchfield, global English would similarly disintegrate into separate tongues. To the delight of cultural commentators from Sydney to Saskatchewan, Burchfield pointed out that, historically speaking, languages have always had a tendency to break up, or to evolve. There were, he argued, some powerful models of the severance of a language into two or more constituent parts, especially the emergence of the great Germanic languages of Western Europe - English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish and so on - from the mutually intelligible dialects of the fifth century AD. The obvious objection to this model, which his critics were swift to deploy, was the contemporary vigour and interconnectedness of global English. In the age of mass media, the future of world English, said Burchfield's opponents, would never follow the Latin model.…
Seller Inventory # 22826
Bibliographic details
- Title
- The English Language
- Author
- Burchfield, Robert; McCrum, Robert - Introduction; Simpson, John - Afterword
- Publisher
- The Folio Society, London
- Publication year
- 2006
- Condition
- Fine
- Dust jacket
- Slip Cased
- Binding
- Hard Back
- Illustrator
- Gower, Neil - Map
- Edition
- Assumed First Edition
- Dimensions
- 6" X 9 1/4"
Don's Book Store
Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since October 13, 1999
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 10 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 0.00 | £ 15.01 |
Payment methods
Store description
General line of new and used paperback and hardback books.
Specialty
New and Used Paperback and Hardback BooksSeller's business information
Don's Book Store
1013 San Mateo BLVD SE
Albuquerque, NM U.S.A. 87108
Terms of sale
If you have any questions or concerns, we're here for you! You can contact us by email at sales@dons.com; or you can reach us by phone at (505) 268-0520.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Don's Book Store, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.