Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue
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Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue by Of Linguistics John Mcwhorter
A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar Why do we say I am reading a catalog instead of I read a catalog? Why do we say do at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history. Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century ad, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English-- and its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for (and no, it's not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition).
John McWhorter is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley. His specialty is pidgin and creole languages, about which he has written two academic books. He is the author of Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of a Pure Standard English, and the best-selling Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America. McWhorter has been interviewed in The New York Times, Newsweek and other periodicals and he has appeared on numerous radio and television shows, including Dateline NBC, The Today Show and National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation. He lives in Oakland, California.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781592403950 |
| ISBN 10 | 1592403956 |
| Title | Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue |
| Author | Of Linguistics John Mcwhorter |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Gotham Books |
| Year published | 2008-11-01 |
| Number of pages | 230 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |