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  • Cited by 6
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      June 2012
      December 2009
      ISBN:
      9780511841194
      9780521838023
      9780521546935
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511841194
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.47kg, 210 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.35kg, 210 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Evolution of Language, Historical Linguistics, Language and Linguistics
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    Subjects:
    Evolution of Language, Historical Linguistics, Language and Linguistics
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    Book description

    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.

    Reviews

    ‘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 …'

    Source: The Times Literary Supplement

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    Contents

    Contents
    References
    Further reading
    HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS
    Aitchison, Jean. 2001. Language Change: Progress or Decay? 3rd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    Campbell, Lyle. 2004. Historical Linguistics: An Introduction. 2nd edn. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
    McMahon, April. 1994. Understanding Language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    Millar, Robert McColl. 2007. Trask's Historical Linguistics. London: Hodder Arnold.
    INDO-EUROPEAN AND THE INDO-EUROPEANS
    Clarkson, James. 2007. Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    Giacalone Ramat, Anna and Ramat, Paolo (eds.) 1998. Indo-European Languages. London and New York: Routledge.
    ETYMOLOGY
    Hughes, Geoffrey. 2000. A History of English Words. Oxford: Blackwell.
    HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
    Baugh, Albert C. and Cable, Thomas. 2002. A History of the English Language. 5th edn. London: Routledge.
    Hogg, Richard M. 2002. An Introduction to Old English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
    Horobin, Simon and Smith, Jeremy J.. 2002. An Introduction to Middle English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
    Nevalainen, Terttu. 2006. An Introduction to Early Modern English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
    Scragg, D. G. 1974. A History of English Spelling. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
    HISTORY OF WRITING SYSTEMS
    Coulmas, Florian. 1989. The Writing Systems of the World. Oxford: Blackwell.
    Rogers, Henry. 2005. Writing Systems: A Linguistic Approach. Oxford: Blackwell.
    LANGUAGE CONTACT, ‘NEW LANGUAGES’, PIDGINS AND CREOLES
    Thomason, Sarah Grey. 2001. Language Contact. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
    Holm, John A. 2000. An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    Bakker, Peter. 1997. A Language of Our Own: The Genesis of Michif. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    Senghas, Ann. 1995. Children's Contribution to the Birth of Nicaraguan Sign Language. Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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