Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English - Tapa blanda

McWhorter, John

 
9781592404940: Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English
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ISBN 10: 1592404944 ISBN 13: 9781592404940
Editorial: Penguin Publishing Group, 2009

Sinopsis

A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar

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, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history.

Covering such turning points as 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, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue 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 worldwide have been waiting for (and no, it’s not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition).

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Acerca del autor

John McWhorter is the author of the bestseller Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America, The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language, and four other books. He is associate professor of linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and a contributing editor to The City Journal and The New Republic. He has been profiled in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and has appeared on Dateline NBC, Politically Incorrect, and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

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Editorial
Penguin Publishing Group
Año de publicación
2009
Idioma
Inglés
ISBN 10 
1592404944
ISBN 13 
9781592404940
Encuadernación
Tapa blanda
Número de edición
1
Número de páginas
256
Contacto del fabricante
no disponible
Persona responsable
no disponible

Otras ediciones populares con el mismo título

9781592403950: Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English

Edición Destacada

ISBN 10:  1592403956 ISBN 13:  9781592403950
Editorial: Gotham Books, 2008
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