May We Borrow Your Language?: How English Steals Words From All Over the World - Softcover

Gooden, Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1786694557 ISBN 13: 9781786694553

Publisher: Head of Zeus, 2017

Synopsis

The English language that is spoken by one billion people around the world is a linguistic mongrel, its vocabulary a diverse mix resulting from centuries of borrowing from other tongues. From the Celtic languages of pre-Roman Britain to Norman French; from the Vikings' Old Scandinavian to Persian, Sanskrit, Algonquian, Cantonese and Hawaiian, amongst a host of others, we have enriched our modern language with such words as tulip, slogan, doolally, avocado, moccasin, ketchup and ukulele. This book explores the intriguing and unfamiliar stories behind scores of familiar words that the English language has filched; in so doing, it also sheds fascinating light on the wider history of the development of the English we speak today. Full of etymological nuggets to intrigue and delight the reader, this is a gift book for word buffs to cherish—as cerebrally stimulating as it is entertaining.

About this title

About the Author:

Philip Gooden is the author of Faux Pas? A No-Nonsense Guide to Words and Phrase and Who's Whose? A No-Nonsense Guide to Easily-Confused Words.

Review:

'Engrossing ... hugely informative and fun' Nudge Book. 'Written with wit and aplomb as he reveals the history and details on words as diverse as cwen, lust, delphinan and bathos ... It is a worthy addition for anyone with an etymological collection of books, and if you like Mark Forsyth this is right up your street' Half Man, Half Book Blog.

About this edition

• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1786694557
• ISBN 13: 9781786694553
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336