Fanboys and overdogs: the language report - Tapa dura

'the indispensible annual updates in neologisms.' (Iain Finlayson, The Times)

'...erudite and hugely enjoyable lexicon.' (Lloyd Evans, The Spectator)

fanboys and overdogs: the language report is a collection of the most intriguing facts and observations on the English language in recent years, and particularly in 2005. In her eminently browsable exploration of the changing face of English, Susie Dent, Countdown's dictionary expert, takes us on a journey through the most exotic and dynamic areas of the language. From the histories of words to the word on the street, this completely new volume explores how the language is changing, and gives a brand new 'Word a Year' list for 1905 to 2005. The book covers new words, and the language of technology, politics, TV, and the media. Other topics covered include foreign words and phrases, word play, word histories, dialect, spelling, and current controversies of grammar and usage. A brand-new design brings the language to life on the page, and makes the book a pleasure to read. The book is based on the ongoing research at Oxford Dictionaries, home of the Oxford English Dictionary and the largest language research programme in the world. Oxford collects and analyses literally hundreds of millions of words of real language and the findings are presented here, many of them for the first time. Compellingly informative and readable fanboys and overdogs has something for everyone interested in the English language.