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  3. Why Do Languages Change?
  • Cited by 6
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      05 June 2012
      24 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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