The Language Wars: A History of Proper English
Author(s): Henry Hitchings
The English language is a battlefield. Since the age of Shakespeare, arguments over correct usage have been acrimonious, and those involved have always really been contesting values - to do with morality, politics and class. THE LANGUAGE WARS examines the present state of the conflict, its history and its future. Above all, it uses the past as a way of illuminating the present. Moving chronologically, the book explores the most persistent issues to do with English and unpacks the history of 'proper' usage. Where did these ideas spring from? Which of today's bugbears and annoyances are actually venerable? Who has been on the front line in the language wars? Grammar rules, regional accents, swearing, spelling, dictionaries, political correctness, and the role of electronic media in reshaping language are examined as are the niggling concerns of split infinitive, elocution and text messaging. Peopled with intriguing characters - Jonathan Swift, H. W. Fowler, George Orwell and disparate figures - Lewis Carroll, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lenny Bruce, this is an essential volume for anyone interested in the state of the English language today or intrigued about its future.
Product Information
Praise for THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS -- - 'Hitching's excavation are a treat... almost every spadeful yields an etymological nugget ... elegantly and entertainingly written' -- Financial Times '[It] disentangles an intriguing narrative from a mass of information... bearing witness to an increasing global language, always morphing into something new' -- Guardian 'A fascinating exploration of the rich borrowings, exchanges and couplings of the language' -- Ben Macintyre, The Times 'It is a book that brings etymology fizzingly alive ... it teems with vivid, quirky evidence of the way the English vocabulary bears continuing witness to our cultural history' -- Sunday Times 'This is a wonderfully well-organised and entertaining book' -- Daily Mail 'Quite how Hitchings has managed to wrestle this dizzying mountain of dense information into such an elegant narrative ... is a feat almost as admirable as that of the great lexicographer. His book is painstakingly detailed, closely argued and suffused with a contagious enthusiasm for the secrets woven into the fabric of our words -- Daily Telegraph
General Fields
- :
- : John Murray General Publishing Division
- : John Murray Publishers Ltd
- : 0.548
- : 31 January 2011
- : 3.5 Centimeters X 13.9 Centimeters X 22.3 Centimeters
- : United Kingdom
- : 01 March 2011
- : books
Special Fields
- : 416
- : 1
- : Hardback
- : Henry Hitchings
