The Secret Life of Words. How English Became English Hardcover - 2008

London England: John Murray, 2008. Hardback. First Edition. The Secret Life of Words. Message to previous owner to inside cover. Slight shelf wear to top edge of D/J. Price clipped to D/J. Communication is essential to our lives, but how often do we stop to think about where the words we use have come from? Have you ever thought abouth which words in English have been borrowed from Arabic, Dutch or Portuguese? Try admiral, landscape and marmalade just for starters. This book is a wide-ranging account not only of the history of English, but also of how words witness history, reflect social change and remind us of our turbulent past. The author delves into our promiscuos language and reveals how and why it has absorbed words from more than 350 other languages - many orignating from the most unlikey of places, such as shampoo from Hindi and kiosk from Turkish. From the Norman Conquest to the present day, Hitchings narrates the story of English as an archive of our human experience and uncovers the secrets behind everyday words. This is a celebration of our language: after reading it, you will never again take the workds we use for granted. 440 pp. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions, Reference books ,and all types of Academic Literature.). First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Tall Octavo. Harback.