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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 422
EAN: 9780374254100
ISBN: 0374254109
Label: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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
Studio: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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Books > Subjects > Reference > Words & Language > Etymology
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Editorial Review:

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.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

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 ... 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 ... 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 ... Read More

Rating:

- but words will never hurt me...
And the right words can make us stronger. Hitchings expands the promise glimpsed in his previous book on Samuel Johnson. This latest offering is a word lover's dream.

Hitchings examines how the English language has developed over time. He covers thousands of words and myriad circumstances and historical events. Simply fabulous!

Our language keeps changing and adapting. Is it getting stronger? Perhaps. And if you say the word VIAGRA they will think you are speaking Sanskrit. Simply ... Read More

Rating:

- How Words Reflect Our History
Language is simply the way we transmit ideas to others, but it is never so simple. Because it is involved in almost everything we do, it reflects and affects history, culture, fashion, cooking, politics and more. You could study English, for instance, and learn aspects of all these spheres, because, as Henry Hitchings says, "Studying language enables an archaeology of human experience: words contain the fossils of past dreams and traumas." It is just the sort of study he has undertaken in _The Secret Life ... Read More

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