000			01950n a2200253 a 4500
001			030382
005			20231009192551.0
008			130527s2011 enka 001 0 eng
010			_a2011507152
016	7		_a015830840 _2 Uk
020			_a9781250024206
042			_alccopycat
050	0	0	_aPE1075 _b.C798 2012b
082	0	4	_a422 CRY
100	1		_aCrystal, David _d, 1941-
245	1	4	_aThe story of English in 100 words _c/ David Crystal.
260			_aLondon _b: Profile _c, 2011.
300			_axxi, 260 p. _b: ill. _c; 21 cm.
500			_aIncludes index.
520			_aFrom pre-eminent British linguist Crystal (The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language) comes this delightful history of the words we use (and some we've forgotten) and how we came to use them. Neither a wordbook nor a linguistic history, Crystal emphasizes that his selections demonstrate how English-"a vacuum cleaner of a language"- developed by sweeping up words from other languages These "loanwords" range from "street" (from the Latin strata) to "dame" (with a complex history as an indicator of social status) from the French. Moving chronologically from "roe" (fifth century) to "Twittersphere (21st century), Crystal spells out each word's origin; the word's sometimes-roundabout journey to the present-day meaning is explored, and often grammatical conundrums are answered. Case in point: why is there a "b" in "debt," as its origin was the French word dete (or dette)? Blame scholars who wanted sophistication and drew from the Latin debitum. Crystal also touches on the coining of new words when the mood strikes, citing famous examples in Shakespeare and Joyce as well as the crop of technology-inspired neologisms. Crystal's enthusiasm for-and wealth of knowledge about-the ever-evolving English language makes this a must-read for word lovers.
650		0	_aEnglish language _x--Etymology
650		0	_aEnglish language _x--Foreign elements
942			_cMO
999			_c242535 _d242535