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Signs of Civilisation provides an account of the rich cultural history of punctuation.

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How on earth did 'with bells on' come to express enthusiasm And what do chips on shoulders have to do with inferiority complexes Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas provides us with the meanings of these well-worn and much-loved phrases by putting these linguistic quirks in context, and explaining how and why they were first used.

(Paperback, Main)

Why won't language do as it's told Join the Economist's Johnson columnist on a headspinning journey of discovery

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A transatlantic survival guide, that examines the key differences between the British and the Americans through their language. It shows why Americans give - and take - so many bloody compliments and never, ever say 'shall' (well hardly ever), as well as what the British really mean when they say 'proper'.

(Paperback, Main)

An authoritative and accessible history of the cultural miracle that is the written word.

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How to harness the power of 'untranslatable' words to help you live your best possible life

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How to harness the power of 'untranslatable' words to help you live your best possible life

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In the twenty-first century, can we really take the dominance of English for granted In their time, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian have each been world languages, sweeping the globe for centuries at a time. This title explores the rise of a linguistic diversity we could never before have imagined.

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A sleeper hit in hardcover -- now in paperback with new material. A surprising, and entertaining, explanation of how the words we use (even the ones we don't notice) reveal our personalities, emotions, and identities.

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The revealing stories behind slang, the language that shows us at our most human

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Entertaining and erudite, and a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, this title describes a societal metamorphosis, tracing the fallout of the world wars, the rise of an educated middle class, and the emergence of America as the undisputed leader of the free world, and illuminating how those forces shaped our language.

(Paperback, Main)

From the author of Globish, a new edition of the acclaimed history of the English language.

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An eye-opening tour of the English language through the ages.

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The extraordinary story of the development and spread of the English language, from Dark Age Britain to the age of the Internet.

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Scholars usually date Yiddish from the 11th century, when modern linguists believed the language began as a German dialect spoken by newly arrived Jewish immigrants from France and Northern Italy living along the Rhine. Over time, it became an actual language incorporating elements of Hebrew, Aramaic, and the Slavic and Romance languages.

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Synopsis coming soon.......

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Presents an investigation into the evolution of language. This book exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication. Along the way, it teaches why German maidens are neuter while German turnips are female, why we have feet not foots, and how great changes of pronunciation may result from simple laziness.

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From information about words and their uses, useful lists of things you never knew had names, palindromes, famous lines from literature and film, to bizarre test answers and much, much more, The Wonderful World of Words is bursting with truly oddball facts about words and language and will have you hooked from the very first page.

(Paperback)

The story of words, cultures, the OED and John Simpson, a word detective with thirty-seven years of dictionary experience and twenty years as Chief Editor of the world's most important dictionary

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Does language reflect the culture of a society Is our mother-tongue a lens through which we perceive the world Can different languages lead their speakers to different thoughts This title states that contrary to the fashionable academic consensus of today, the answer to all these questions is - yes.

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A witty and comprehensive exploration of euphemestic language andwhat our euphemisms reveal about us

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(Paperback)

"This is Microcosm [publication] #133"--Title-page verso.