Our magnificent bastard tongue : the untold history of English / John McWhorter.
2008
PE1075 .M597 2008 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection
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Details
Title
Our magnificent bastard tongue : the untold history of English / John McWhorter.
Author
McWhorter, John H.
ISBN
9781592404940 (pbk.)
1592404944 (pbk.)
9781592403950
1592403956
1592404944 (pbk.)
9781592403950
1592403956
Imprint
New York : Gotham Books, c2008.
Language
English
Description
xxiii, 230 p. ; 19 cm.
Call Number
PE1075 .M597 2008
Dewey Decimal Classification
420.9
Summary
Why do we say "I am reading a catalog" instead of "I read a catalog"? Why do we say "do" at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, author McWhorter distills hundreds of years of lore into one lively history. Covering the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century AD, and drawing on genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, McWhorter ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English--and its ironic simplicity, due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados have been waiting for.--From publisher description.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
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Table of Contents
We speak a miscegenated grammar
A lesson from the Celtic impact
We speak a battered grammar
Does our grammar channel our thought?
Skeletons in the closet.
A lesson from the Celtic impact
We speak a battered grammar
Does our grammar channel our thought?
Skeletons in the closet.