Bookish Words & their Surprising Stories

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The world of books has played a notable role in the history of English vocabulary.

Book itself is one of the oldest words in the language: boc in Old English. With the arrival of printing, the growth in terminology created more idiomatic opportunities for lexical growth, as did the growth of the publishing industry; and the emergence of the internet still more.

The hundred or so words and idioms selected for this book show these stages of influence very clearly. Each entry for individual words gives an account of its linguistic origins, and for idioms an account of their original context of use. I then trace the development of their meaning over time, and conclude with examples of their current presence.

Some unexpected and surprising contexts come to light. Small format book packaged as a gift for booklovers/linguists

Author Bio

David Crystal is a writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster on language, and honorary professor of linguistics at Bangor University. His many books include The Cambridge Encyclopedia of English Language (CUP 3rd edn, 2019) and A Date with Language (Bodleian Library 2023). He lives online at www.davidcrystal.com.