The prodigal tongue: dispatches from the future of English

Description

Mark Abley takes the reader on a world-wide trip like no other -- from Singapore to Japan, Oxford to Los Angeles, through the web and even back in time. As much a travel book as a linguistic study, this book goes beyond grammar and vocabulary; more importantly, this book is about the people of the world.On his travels Abley encounters bloggers, translators, novelists, therapists, dictionary makers, hip-hop performers and web-savvy teenagers. He talks to a married couple who were passionately corresponding online before they met in 'meatspace.' And he listens to teenagers, puzzling out the words they coin in chat rooms and virtual worlds. Lively, evocative, passionate and hilarious, this is a book for everyone who cherishes the words we use. Content: Roarific: the power of language change -- Bouncebackability: how words are created and organized -- Throw away your dictionaries: Asian English -- Your rule will soon be here: global English -- Hippu hangu: language in Japan -- Radiante: languages in Los Angeles -- Every single trend: Black English and hip-hop -- [email protected]: language in cyberspace -- Whoa, how very: words and the fictional future -- The soul's ozone: keeping language real.