E Pluribus English by Mim Harrison
English is a language made of other languages, and therein lies its magic. E PLURIBUS ENGLISH: THE MANY LANGUAGES WE SPEAK WHEN WE SPEAK ENGLISH takes readers on a magic carpet ride of the rich tapestry of languages that find themselves on English speakers' tongues. Each chapter is filled with stories of words with sometimes unlikely, often curious, and always memorable histories. These range from the French connection between sabotage and shoes, to the Arabic algebra that got tangled up in bone-setting, to the Greek word for milk that morphed into the name of a galaxy. An entire section is devoted to American English origins, from Taíno and other Indigenous languages, to Gullah, Spanish, Pennsylvania Dutch, Cajun French, and Yiddish. For both word lovers and history buffs, E PLURIBUS ENGLISH provides a fresh, fun look at how, when it comes to learning many other languages, English gives its native speakers a surprising head start. There is no such thing, the author maintains, as a "foreign" language ("foreign" being the one word in the English language she suggests we banish), just languages we don't yet know. And being curious about English words' etymology is one way to approach vocabulary in those languages we don't yet know. The author brings in a few examples from her own efforts at learning Spanish to make the point. Quizzes throughout the book, asking you to either match a word with its meaning or select its language of origin, reward the reader with not only answers that immediately follow, but also the backstories on how the words became English. An index includes more than 450 words. Ross King, the New York Times bestselling author of "Brunelleschi's Dome" and "The Bookseller of Florence," says that with E PLURIBUS ENGLISH, the author celebrates English's "riotous, border-crossing history with wit, warmth and a lexicographer's love of nuance. She shows how this magpie of languages has borrowed, blended and blundered its way into the rich patchwork we speak today." The book, King says, is "a must-read for word lovers and language learners." Includes a bibliography.| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781733937566 |
| ISBN 10 | 1733937560 |
| Title | E Pluribus English |
| Author | Mim Harrison |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | America the Bilingual Levenger Foundation |
| Year published | 2025-10-15 |
| Number of pages | 250 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |