Description - A Word-Lover's History of English by Rebecca Gowers
A Word-Lover's History of English explores the story of the English language in 501 words that illustrate the advance of English, the processes of its evolution, and the mechanisms driving these changes. It examines new coinages from 1500 years of English's development, from its arrival in the mouths of conquering Germanic tribes in the fifth century AD to its present-day status as the fastest-growing language in the world.
Because English is remarkably circular, many words enjoy a period of popularity, then lie dormant for a while before being resurrected (and often refashioned) in a new era. This book is organized chronologically according to the date of the first coinage of each new word or new word grouping, and so while cool may have become a ubiquitous term of approval over the past 25 years, here it is found in the 1940s, when it first saw the light of day during the jazz and bebop era.
A Word-Lover's History of English charts all the major influences upon the language: its misty Celtic origins; the Dark-Age arrival of the Jutes, Angles and Saxons; the seismic linguistic shocks of the Viking invasions and Norman conquest; the catalyst of growing trade from the East in the 13th and 14th centuries and the later impact of a global empire; the influence of particular individuals on shaping English, including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson and even the rap-artists of the 21st century; the emergence of a specifically American form of English; changes in grammar and why they happened (and are still happening); pronunciation and spelling changes; and the potential new words of the future - taking a view on how English will develop in this century and beyond.
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