ENGLISH

Word Origins

By John Ayto

Book information

Publisher
A & C Black
Year
2005
ISBN
0713674989, 9780713674989, 9781408101605
Open Library ID
OL22714628M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
25 MB (26022299 bytes)
Edition
2nd
Pages
577\577
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

The average contemporary English speaker knows 50,000 words. Yet stripped down to its origins, this apparently huge vocabulary is in reality much smaller, derived from Latin, French and the Germanic languages. It is estimated that every year, 800 neologisms are added to the English language: acronyms (nimby), blended words (motel), and those taken from foreign languages (savoir-faire). Laid out in an A-Z format with detailed cross references, and written in a style that is both authoritative and accessible, Word Origins is a valuable historical guide to the English language.

Similar books