Cart

Unlocking potential with the best learning and research solutions

Look Inside Why Do Languages Change?

Why Do Languages Change?

$41.99 (P)

Author: Larry Trask

Date Published: January 2010
availability: Available
format: Paperback
isbn: 9780521546935

Rate & review

$ 41.99 (P)
Paperback

Add to cart Add to wishlist

Other available formats:
Hardback, eBook

Looking for an examination copy?

If you are interested in the title for your course we can consider offering an examination copy. To register your interest please contact [email protected] providing details of the course you are teaching.

Description

Contents

Resources

Courses

About the Authors

The first recorded English name for the make-up we now call blusher was paint, in 1660. In the 1700s a new word, rouge, displaced paint, and remained in standard usage for around two centuries. Then, in 1965, an advertisement coined a new word for the product: blusher. Each generation speaks a little differently, and every language is constantly changing. It is not only words that change, every aspect of a language changes over time - pronunciation, word-meanings and grammar. Packed with fascinating examples of changes in the English language over time, this entertaining book explores the origin of words and place names, the differences between British and American English, and the apparent eccentricities of the English spelling system. Amusingly written yet deeply instructive, it will be enjoyed by anyone involved in studying the English language and its history, as well as anyone interested in how and why languages change.
- No prior knowledge of the subject is required
- Includes examples from many languages with primary attention given to changes in English
- Each chapter is sufficiently independent of the others to be read on its own
Read more
Reviews & endorsements
'Clear, sensible and stimulating … a fine memorial to the late Larry Trask. This book deserves to succeed as a splendid introductory text for anyone interested in language change.' Jeremy J. Smith, University of Glasgow
'Trask's enthusiasm and learning are obvious … will give its readers more enjoyment than many other volumes on the subject …' The Times Literary Supplement
See more reviews
Customer reviews

Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review

Log in to review

Review was not posted due to profanity
×

, create a review

(If you're not , sign out)

Please enter the right captcha value

Please enter a star rating.

Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

How do you rate this item?

Reviews must contain at least 12 words about the product.

×

Product details
- Date Published: January 2010
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521546935
- length: 210 pages
- dimensions: 228 x 153 x 10 mm
- weight: 0.35kg
- contains: 8 b/w illus. 11 tables
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
1. How do languages change?
2. Why are languages always changing?
3. Where do words come from?
4. Skunk-Leek – my kind of town: what's in a name?
5. Where does English come from?
6. Why is American English different from British English?
7. Why is English spelling so eccentric?
8. Which is the oldest language?
Look Inside
Instructors have used or reviewed this title for the following courses
- Intro Historical Linguistics
- Usage-based Perspectives on English Grammar
Author
Larry Trask
R. L. Trask was a world authority on the Basque language and on historical linguistics. He wrote both academic and popular books, notably on grammar, punctuation, and English style and usage. His publications include Language: The Basics (1995) and Mind the Gaffe (2001). At the time of his death in 2004, he was Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex.