Språk: historia och allmänt

Fröet till det svenska språket såddes för 5 000 år sedan, i området kring Svarta havet. Men det var först på 1300-talet som svenskan fick sin roll som ett eget språk, kopplat till nationen. Sedan dess har det utvecklats i nära samspel med landet där det talats och skrivits.

Genom att studera texter skrivna av kungligheter, lärarinnor, kanslister eller vetenskapsmän kan vi förstå hur språket användes – och hur människorna bakom orden tänkte och levde. Lingvisten Tore Janson visar i denna bok hur svenskans historia därmed också är en viktig del av Sveriges historia.

Med djup kunskap och pedagogisk blick lotsar han oss genom åtta sekler och öppnar dörrar till olika tider och språkformer.

Följ med på en lärd och underhållande resa från runskrifternas tidevarv till dagens digitala svenska!

Ny upplaga med 30 nya uttryck! Kan man ha is i magen? Och glida på en räkmackaInget av dessa uttryck bör tolkas bokstavligt. Det­samma gäller den uppsjö av uttryck som vi till vardags slänger ur oss utan att egentligen tänka på vad vi säger. Alla uttryck har ett ursprung: många härrör från det gamla bondesamhället, några från sagor och fabler, och de allra flesta har sitt ursprung i Bibeln Kasta yxan i sjön, fara fram som ett Jehu och dansa efter någons pipa är bara några exempel. Vem kan då skapa ett nytt uttryck i språket? Sva­ret är: vem som helst! Den här boken tar i bokstavsordning upp drygt 200 av våra vanligaste svenska uttryck med dess betydelse och ursprung. Man får även veta i vilka språk motsvarande uttryck finns, och vad man sä­ger då. Följ med på en spännande upptäcktsresa i vårt språk. Kerstin Johanson har tidigare gett ut ett stort antal böcker, bl a Engelska uttryck och Ordbok för tänkare samt citatserien Bra citat om...

Vad heter du? Den frågan har du fått många gånger.Men varför heter du? Den frågan har du kanske inte tänkt på så ofta. Hur kommer det sig att du över huvud taget har ett namn, och varför ser det ut som det gör? Det vill Sverker Johansson berätta om i denna underhållande och tanke­väckande bok. Med blick för såväl de stora utvecklings­linjerna som för de kuriösa exemplen rör han sig mellan alla tider och platser för att fånga in namntraditionernas mångfald.

Beroende på var vi hamnar i tid och rum kan ett för­namn bestämmas utifrån veckodag, förfäder, vilka onda andar som ska luras eller vad modern ser när barnet föds. Förutom förnamn kan vi ha efternamn – men också föräld­ranamn, gårdsnamn, bynamn, barnnamn, kastnamn, mel­lannamn, generationsnamn eller tillnamn baserade på allt från lyten via yrken till tv-program. Visste du till exempel att Caligula betyder barnstövlar, att John är det vanligaste förnamnet på Wikipedia, att delfiner har namnmelodier och att Mao Zedongs mellannamn Ze kommer från en dikt som hans släkt i fjorton generationer hämtade namn ur?

Mycket pekar på att vi bär namn inte så mycket för att kunna tilltalas som för att kunna omtalas…

"Denna historiska rundvandring är både lärorik och väl genomförd."Fokus

"Sverker Johanssons bok Hur var namnet? plockar fram något som är så vardagligt att vi knappt tänker på det och gör det ytterst intressant och spännande."BTJ

Are you curious to know what all languages have in common and how they differ? Do you want to find out how language can be used to trace different peoples and their past? Now in its fourth edition, this fascinating book guides beginners through the rich diversity of the world's languages. It presupposes no background in linguistics, and introduces key concepts with the help of problem sets, end-of-chapter exercises and an extensive bibliography. It is illustrated with detailed maps and charts of language families throughout, and engaging sidebars and 'food for thought' boxes contextualise and bring the languages to life with demographic, social, historical, and geographical facts. This edition has been extensively updated with a new section on the languages of the Caribbean, new problem sets, and an updated glossary and index. Supplementary online materials includes links to all websites mentioned, and answers to the exercises for instructors.

Nearly six thousand years ago, seafront clans in Denmark likely began speaking the earliest form of Germanic language--the first of six "signal events" that Ruth Sanders highlights in this marvelous tour of the German language. Blending linguistic, anthropological, and historical research, Sanders presents a brilliant biography of the language as it evolved across the millennia. She sheds light on the influence of such events as the Battle of Kalkriese, which permanently halted the incursion of both the Romans and the Latin language into northern Europe, and the publication of Martin Luther's German Bible translation, which in effect forged from many regional dialects a single German language. The narrative ranges through the turbulent Middle Ages, the spread of the printing press, the formation of the nineteenth-century German Empire, and Germany's twentieth-century military and cultural horrors. The book includes fascinating sidebars on topics such as the Gothic language (now extinct), the branching off of Yiddish, and the revolution of 1848. The first book on this topic for general readers, this engaging volume will appeal to everyone interested in German language, culture, or history.

The Renaissance is one of the most studied and celebrated eras of history. Spanning the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of modernity, it has come to symbolise the transformative rebirth of knowledge, art, culture and political thought in Europe. And for the last two hundred years, historians have struggled to describe what makes this famous golden age unique.In Inventing the Renaissance, acclaimed historian Ada Palmer provides a fresh perspective on what makes this epoch so captivating. Her witty and irreverent journey through the fantasies historians have constructed about the period show how its legend derives more from later centuries’ mythmaking than from the often grim reality of the period itself. She examines its defining figures and movements: the enduring legacy of Niccolò Machiavelli, the rediscovery of the classics, the rise of the Medici and fall of the Borgias, the astonishing artistic achievements of Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Cellini, the impact of the Inquisition and the expansion of secular Humanism. Palmer also explores the ties between culture and money: books, for example, could cost as much as grand houses, so the period’s innovative thinkers could only thrive with the help of the super-rich. She offers fifteen provocative and entertaining character portraits of Renaissance men and women, some famous, some obscure, whose intersecting lives show how the real Renaissance was more unexpected, more international and, above all, more desperate than its golden reputation suggests.Drawing on her popular blogs and writing with her characteristic energy and wit, Palmer presents the Renaissance as we have never seen it before. Colloquial, funny and brilliant, you would never expect a work of deep scholarship to make you alternately laugh and cry.

In this book, John O’Regan examines the role of political economy in the worldwide spread of English and traces the origins and development of the dominance of English to the endless accumulation of capital in a capitalist world-system.O’Regan combines Marxist perspectives of capital accumulation with world-systems analysis, international political economy, and studies of imperialism and empire to present a historical account of the ‘free riding’ of English upon the global capital networks of the capitalist world-system. Relevant disciplinary perspectives on global English are examined in this light, including superdiversity, translanguaging, translingual practice, trans-spatiality, language commodification, World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca. Global English and Political Economy presents an original historical and interdisciplinary interpretation of the global ascent of English, while also raising important theoretical and practical questions for perspectives which suggest that the time of the traditional models of English is past.Providing an introduction to key theoretical perspectives in political economy, this book is essential reading for advanced students and researchers in applied linguistics, World Englishes and related fields of study.

The English language is spoken by more than a billion people throughout the world. But where did English come from? And how has it evolved into the language used today?In this Very Short Introduction Simon Horobin investigates how we have arrived at the English we know today, and celebrates the way new speakers and new uses mean that it continues to adapt. Engaging with contemporary concerns about correctness, Horobin considers whether such changes are improvements, or evidence of slipping standards. What is the future for the English language? Will Standard English continue to hold sway, or we are witnessing its replacement by newly emerging Englishes?ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

*A GUARDIAN, NEW STATESMAN, PROSPECT AND WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2025* 'The fascinating story of ancient words … new revelations await' The Guardian 'A magisterial feat' New Scientist ________________________________ One ancient language transformed our world. This is its story. Star. Stjarna. Stare. Thousands of miles apart, people look up at the night sky and use the same word to describe what they see.Listen to these English, Icelandic and Iranic words and you can hear echoes of one of the most extraordinary journeys in humanity’s past. All three of these languages – and hundreds more – share a single ancient ancestor.Five millennia ago, in a mysterious Big Bang of its own, this proto tongue exploded, forming new worlds as it spread east and west. Today, nearly half of humanity speaks an Indo-European language. How did this happen?In Proto, acclaimed journalist Laura Spinney sets off to find out. With her we travel the length of the steppe, navigating the Caucasus, the Silk Roads and the Hindu Kush. We follow in the footsteps of nomads and monks, Amazon warriors and lion kings – the ancient peoples who spread these tongues far and wide. In the present, Spinney meets the linguists, archaeologists and geneticists racing to recover this lost world. What they have discovered has vital lessons for our modern age, as people and their languages are on the move again.Proto is a revelatory portrait of world history in its own words.

Sail in on a shrimp sandwich and other curious Swedish sayings Every country has them culturally unique expressions that bring colour to everyday language and provoke a laugh or two in literal translation. Swedish contains all manner of weird and wonderful sayings, many without obvious equivalents in English. Here we roll out some of the funniest and learn a little about their origins and usage you ll never get caught buying a pig in a sack again!

Routledge English Language Introductions cover core areas of language study and are one-stop resources for students.Assuming no prior knowledge, books in the series offer an accessible overview of the subject, with activities, study questions, sample analyses, commentaries and key readings – all in the same volume. The innovative and flexible ‘two-dimensional’ structure is built around four sections – introduction, development, exploration and extension – which offer self-contained stages for study. Each topic can also be read across these sections, enabling the reader to build gradually on the knowledge gained. This revised second edition of History of English includes:❑ a comprehensive introduction to the history of English covering the origins of English, the change from Old to Middle English, and the influence of other languages on English;❑ increased coverage of key issues, such as the standardisation of English;❑ a wider range of activities, plus answers to exercises;❑ new readings of well-known authors such as Manfred Krug, Colette Moore, Merja Stenroos and David Crystal;❑ a timeline of important external events in the history of English.Structured to reflect the chronological development of the English language, History of English describes and explains the changes in the language over a span of 1,500 years, covering all aspects from phonology and grammar, to register and discourse. In doing so, it incorporates examples from a wide variety of texts and provides an interactive and structured textbook that will be essential reading for all students of English language and linguistics.

From the bestselling author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland and Can You Solve My Problems? comes a fascinating, hugely entertaining collection of puzzles for crossword addicts and language-lovers of all stripes. 'The only puzzle book I've seen that manages to befuddle both sides of the brain at the same time.'DARA Ó BRIAIN'Such fun, full of unexpected ideas and charmingly written.'TIM HARFORDThe Language Lover's Puzzle Book is a book of more than 100 surprising and entertaining puzzles that celebrate the amazing diversity of the world of words and language.Featuring a huge variety of ancient, modern and even invented languages, this collection of problems will introduce you to unusual alphabets and scripts, curious vocabularies and phonologies, and global variations in simple behaviours like counting, telling the time, and naming children.Whether you are a crossword solver, a code-breaker or a Scrabble addict, these puzzles are guaranteed to twist your tongue and sharpen your mind.'Alex Bellos is a dazzling polymath whose cleverness and ingenuity are on full display in this utterly brilliant and original collection of linguistic puzzles. This book is destined to be a classic for puzzle lovers.'JOSHUA FOER, co-founder of Atlas Obscura and author Moonwalking with Einstein'An irresistible linguistic workout - challenging and deeply satisfying.'GASTON DORREN, author of Lingo and Babel'For all the language and puzzle fans in your life!' GRETCHEN McCULLOCH'A cornucopia of ingenious and insightful challenges.' DAVID CRYSTAL'This compendium of puzzles is a great idea.' MICHAEL ROSEN'You'll love what Alex Bellos has done here.' GYLES BRANDRETH'Tantalisting.' THE ECONOMIST'The perfect way to pass the time.' BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

Denna mycket omtyckta kommer nu i en nyutgåva. Språkets nära koppling till vardagslivet gör att de flesta har åsikter om det, men hur är det egentligen - vad är fakta och vad är myt? Är en kärring någon man håller kär? Finns order lagom bara i svenskan? Har eskimåerna så många fler ord för snö än vad vi har? Hotas det svenska språket av invandringen? Har engelskan fler ord än svenskan? Detta och mycket mer klarar Mikael Parkvall ut i "Lagom finns bara i Sverige". Trots sin akademiska utgångspunkt tar sig Parkvall an ämnet på ett lättsamt och humoristiskt sätt. En mycket välskriven och läsvärd bok! "Lärorikt som det är, är detta också bland de mest lättlästa och underhållande bidragen till språkvetenskaplig allmänbildning som man kan föreställa sig" Arthur Holmer, BTJ "Den är skriven med mycket humor och mycket sakkunskap" Ingalill Mosander, SVT:s Gokväll "Frejdigt och roligt" Bo Löfvendahl, SvD "Parkvalls bok är värd stor spridning" Knut Warmland, Värmlands Folkblad

"Guy Deutscher is that rare beast, an academic who talks good sense about linguistics... he argues in a playful and provocative way, that our mother tongue does indeed affect how we think and, just as important, how we perceive the world." Observer*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? In Through the Language Glass, acclaimed author Guy Deutscher will convince you that, contrary to the fashionable academic consensus of today, the answer to all these questions is - yes. A delightful amalgam of cultural history and popular science, this book explores some of the most fascinating and controversial questions about language, culture and the human mind.

The Renaissance is one of the most studied and celebrated eras of history. Spanning the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of modernity, it has come to symbolise the transformative rebirth of knowledge, art, culture and political thought in Europe. And for the last two hundred years, historians have struggled to describe what makes this famous golden age unique.In Inventing the Renaissance, acclaimed historian Ada Palmer provides a fresh perspective on what makes this epoch so captivating. Her witty and irreverent journey through the fantasies historians have constructed about the period show how its legend derives more from later centuries’ mythmaking than from the often grim reality of the period itself. She examines its defining figures and movements: the enduring legacy of Niccolò Machiavelli, the rediscovery of the classics, the rise of the Medici and fall of the Borgias, the astonishing artistic achievements of Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Cellini, the impact of the Inquisition and the expansion of secular Humanism. Palmer also explores the ties between culture and money: books, for example, could cost as much as grand houses, so the period’s innovative thinkers could only thrive with the help of the super-rich. She offers fifteen provocative and entertaining character portraits of Renaissance men and women, some famous, some obscure, whose intersecting lives show how the real Renaissance was more unexpected, more international and, above all, more desperate than its golden reputation suggests.Drawing on her popular blogs and writing with her characteristic energy and wit, Palmer presents the Renaissance as we have never seen it before. Colloquial, funny and brilliant, you would never expect a work of deep scholarship to make you alternately laugh and cry.

Whatever you need, Susie Dent has a word for it. Do you know the name for someone who loves reading in bed, or what a binfluencer does? How about the medieval invention of Lubberland as a place for lazy teenagers, or the story of Mayday as a request for help? Lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent does and here are her greatest discoveries.From wabbit to dust bunnies, and from the strange history of arse to the best ways to describe moonlight, Words for Life offers a full year's supply of verbal vitamins guaranteed to brighten and boost every day. Here you will learn of the Mother-in-Law's Dream as well as the Yuleshard, and discover expressions that can fix (or at least nail) the problems of modern life, whether dealing with unrequited love or unsatisfactory politicians, eating a whole packet of biscuits or forgetting someone's name.From starting January 1 with your best foot forward (qualtagh) to leaping happily into the unknown (with a drink in your hand) on 31 December, here is the perfect guide to ensure your best year yet - and 365 words you'll want to keep for life.

From fjords to mountains, schools of herring to herds of reindeer, Scandinavia is rich in astonishing natural beauty. Less well known, however, is that it is also rich in languages. Home to seven languages, Scandinavia has traditionally been understood as linguistically bifurcated between its five Germanic languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, and Faroese) and its two Finno-Ugric ones (Finnish and Sámi). In The Languages of Scandinavia, Ruth H. Sanders takes a pioneering approach: she considers these Seven Sisters of the North together.While the two linguistic families that comprise Scandinavia’s languages ultimately have differing origins, the Seven Sisters have coexisted side by side for millennia. As Sanders reveals, a crisscrossing of names, territories, and even to some extent language genetics—intimate language contact—has created a body of shared culture, experience, and linguistic influences that is illuminated when the story of these seven languages is told as one. Exploring everything from the famed whalebone Lewis Chessmen of Norse origin to the interactions between the Black Death and the Norwegian language, The Languages of Scandinavia offers profound insight into languages with a cultural impact deep-rooted and far-reaching, from the Icelandic sagas to Swedish writer Stieg Larsson’s internationally popular Millennium trilogy. Sanders’s book is both an accessible work of linguistic scholarship and a fascinating intellectual history of language.

Steven Roger Fischer’s fascinating book, now available in an updated B-format edition, traces the complete story of reading from the time when symbol first became sign through to the electronic texts of the present day. Describing ancient forms of reading, Fischer turns to Asia and the Americas and discusses the forms and developments of completely divergent writing systems and scripts.With the Middle Ages in Europe and the Middle East, innovative re-inventions of reading emerged – silent and liturgical reading; the custom of lectors; reading’s focus in general education – whereupon printing transformed society’s entire attitude to reading. Fischer charts the explosion of the book trade in this era, its increased audience and radically changed subject-matter; describes the emergence of broadsheets, newspapers and public readings; and traces the effect of new font designs on general legibility.Fischer discusses society’s dedication to public literacy in the sweeping educational reforms of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and notes the appearance of free libraries, gender differences in reading matter, public advertising and the ‘forbidden’ lists of Church, State and the unemancipated. Finally, he assesses the future, in which it is likely that read communication will soon exceed oral communication through the use of the personal computer and the internet, and looks at ‘visual language’ and modern theories of how reading is processed in the human brain. Asking how the New Reader can reshape reading’s future, he suggests a radical new definition of what reading could be.

A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2019‘Richly evocative and entertaining.’ – Guardian‘A delightful read.’ – Tatler‘An essential book for anyone who wants to Polari Bona!’ – AttitudePolari is a language that was used chiefly by gay men in the first half of the twentieth century. It offered its speakers a degree of public camouflage and a means of identification. Its colourful roots are varied – from Cant to Lingua Franca to dancers’ slang – and in the mid-1960s it was thrust into the limelight by the characters Julian and Sandy, voiced by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams, on the BBC radio show Round the Horne. (‘Oh hello Mr Horne, how bona to vada your dolly old eek!’) Paul Baker recounts the story of Polari with skill, humour and tenderness. He traces its historical origins and describes its linguistic nuts and bolts, explores the ways and the environments in which it was spoken, explains the reasons for its decline and tells of its unlikely re-emergence in the twenty-first century. With a cast of drag queens and sailors, Dilly boys and macho clones, Fabulosa! is an essential document of recent history – a fascinating and fantastically readable account of this funny, filthy and ingenious language.

'A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet... An absolutely delightful read, filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight. I just couldn't recommend it more highly.' Stephen Fry 'An excellent read.' Susie Dent 'You'll never look at a keyboard the same way after reading Danny Bate's fascinating linguistic history.' Sunday TimesWhy does 'W' sounds like 'double U'?What has the letter 'Q' got to do with monkeys?Why are the 'C's in circus pronounced differently?What's the point of the second 'N' in the author's first name, 'Danny'?And why does 'Q' need to be followed by 'U'?Every letter you're reading right now has a fascinating story to tell, having been on a long linguistic, historical, political and social journey.In Why Q Needs U, linguistic expert Danny Bate takes readers on a fascinating odyssey through the English alphabet, diving into history, archaeology, politics and linguistics to discover where we get our writing from. Sharing fun facts and revealing the alphabet's hidden mechanisms, he explains where we get our letters from and why the English language uses them so strangely.Explaining - and defending - the peculiar way English today uses our ancient letters, Bate's witty and entertaining book will help readers spot connections in languages across the world and inspire a newfound sense of wonder for the letters we use every day.'Charming' The Economist

Ibland dyker det upp uttryck som kanske känns främmande för att de inte används så ofta, som att någon persons svaga punkt är dennes akilleshäl är något som många känner till. Men varifrån kommer det uttrycket och en del andra uttryck, kanske mindre kända, som ibland dyker upp. Här får vi på ett pedagogisk sätt reda på bakgrunden till dem och när de används. Boken sammanfattar tolv berättelser ur den grekiska mytologin relaterade till just de uttryck vi ibland använder oss av. Berättelserna är vackert illustrerade av akvareller.Den andra delen av boken, inspirerad av berättelserna, reflekterar över likheterna i våra olika världskulturer samt några filosofiska principer bakom dessa uttryck.

**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024**‘Unmissable’ Stephen Fry'A delight' Katherine Rundell‘Illuminating’ Susie Dent'Brilliant' Philippa Perry'Enthralling' Jeanette WintersonWhat do three murderers, Karl Marx's daughter and a vegetarian vicar have in common?They all helped create the Oxford English Dictionary.The Oxford English Dictionary has long been associated with elite institutions and Victorian men. But the Dictionary didn't just belong to the experts; it relied on contributions from members of the public. By 1928, its 414,825 entries had been crowdsourced from a surprising and diverse group of people, from astronomers to murderers, naturists, pornographers, suffragists and queer couples.Lexicographer Sarah Ogilvie dives deep into previously untapped archives to tell a people's history of the OED. Here, she reveals, for the first time, the full story of the making of one of the most famous books in the world - and celebrates the extraordinary efforts of the Dictionary People.'An astonishing book' Sunday Times'Utterly fascinating, entertaining, astonishing and as clever as a box of monkeys ... I completely love it' Joanna Lumley‘A fascinating and delightful exploration of the Victorian world … Wonderful’ Nicola Shulman, TLS Podcast** A Financial Times, TLS and Daunt Books Book of the Year **

Insults are part of the fabric of daily life. But why do we insult each other? Why do insults cause us such pain? Can we do anything to prevent or lessen this pain? Most importantly, how can we overcome our inclination to insult others? In A Slap in the Face, now issued in paperback with a new preface, William Irvine undertakes a wide-ranging investigation of insults, their history, the role they play in social relationships, and the science behind them. He examines not just memorable zingers, such as Elizabeth Bowen's description of Aldous Huxley as "The stupid person's idea of a clever person," but subtle insults as well, such as when someone insults us by reporting the insulting things others have said about us: "I never read bad reviews about myself," wrote entertainer Oscar Levant, "because my best friends invariably tell me about them." Irvine also considers the role insults play in our society: they can be used to cement relations, as when a woman playfully teases her husband, or to enforce a social hierarchy, as when a boss publicly berates an employee. He goes on to investigate the many ways society has tried to deal with insults--by adopting codes of politeness, for example, and outlawing hate speech--but concludes that the best way to deal with insults is to immunize ourselves against them: we need to transform ourselves in the manner recommended by Stoic philosophers. We should, more precisely, become insult pacifists, trying hard not to insult others and laughing off their attempts to insult us.A rousing follow-up to A Guide to the Good Life, A Slap in the Face will interest anyone who's ever delivered an insult or felt the sting of one--in other words, everyone.

Spinster. Cougar. Carer. Matron. Wife.A rich, provocative and entertaining history of women's words - of the language we have, and haven't, had to share our livesSpecial commendation from the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize'A gem of a book' KATE MOSSE'[A] thoughtful, eye-opening book' ALICE VICENT, author of Why Women Grow'A fascinating look at how we talk about women' WASHINGTON POST'Wonderful' DAILY TELEGRAPHFrom the dawn of Old English to the present day, Dr Jenni Nuttall guides readers through the evolution of words we have used to describe women and the experiences they might share including menstruation, sexuality, the consequences of male violence, childbirth, paid and unpaid work. Along the way, she argues that as women have made slow progress towards equality, we've lost some of the most eloquent parts of our vocabulary for our lives.Inspired by Nuttall's deep knowledge of the English language as well as conversations with her teenage daughter, this is a book for anyone who loves language, and for feminists who want to look to the past in order to move forward.'Sharply funny and wonderfully shareable . . . Incredible' WOMAN AND HOME'This superb book teems with historical marvels and their 21st century resonances' REBECCA WRAGG SYKES, author of Kindred'A great book on the history of women's words in the English language' NEW EUROPEAN'Even longtime word enthusiasts will find plenty of new trivia' NEW YORKER'A must-have for any lover of language, history or women' BUZZ MAGAZINE'Entertaining' SPECTATOR'Edifying and enlivening' BOSTON GLOBE'There is a nugget of joy and wisdom on every single page' VICTORIA WHITWORTH, historian and author of Swimming with Seals

'The most delightful parts of Rare Tongues are the most eccentric... extremely interesting.' - The Scotsman'Any book such as this ... is to be welcomed with sobbing gratitude.' - The Spectator'Thought-provoking' - Kirkus'A fresh and personal perspective' - K. David Harrison An enthralling tour around the rarest languages in the world.From the whistling languages of La Gomera in the Canary Islands and the Hmong people in East and Southeast Asia, to the wars and clashes in Sri Lanka and the conservation efforts in Hawaii and New Zealand, Rare Tongues draws attention to how language and culture are becoming increasingly homogenous, and what we risk losing as a result.In Rare Tongues, linguist and writer Lorna Gibb explores the history of these languages, the cultures they belong to and the tales they tell. The languages, and the efforts being made to preserve them, offer us a glimpse into what we can learn from each of them, and what they teach us about our planet, about medicine, about indigenous culture and tradition, even the history of all mankind.At once entertaining and informative, Lorna Gibb makes a compelling case for the preservation of the rich linguistic diversity of our world, and expertly shows why it matters for us all.

Featuring Latinate and Celtic words, weasel words and nonce-words, ancient words ('loaf') to cutting edge ('twittersphere') and spanning the indispensable words that shape our tongue ('and', 'what') to the more fanciful ('fopdoodle'), Crystal takes us along the winding byways of language via the rude, the obscure and the downright surprising.In this unique new history of the world's most ubiquitous language, linguistics expert David Crystal draws on words that best illustrate the huge variety of sources, influences and events that have helped to shape our vernacular since the first definitively English word was written down in the fifth century ('roe', in case you are wondering).

Raymond Williams’ seminal exploration of the history of meaning of some of the most important words in the English language.First published in 1976, and expanded in 1983, KEYWORDS reveals how the meanings of 131 words – including ‘art’, ‘class’, ‘family’, ‘media’, ‘sex’ and ‘tradition’ – were formed and subsequently altered and redefined as the historical contexts in which they were used changed.Neither a defining dictionary or glossary, KEYWORDS is rather a brilliant investigation into how the meanings of some of the most important words in the English language have shifted over time, and the forces that brought about those shifts.

An unusual and authoritative 'natural history of languages' that narrates the ways in which one language has superseded or outlasted another at different times in history.The story of the world in the last five thousand years is above all the story of its languages. Some shared language is what binds any community together, and makes possible both the living of a common history and the telling of it.Yet the history of the world’s great languages has rarely been examined. ‘Empires of the Word’ is the first to bring together the tales in all their glorious variety: the amazing innovations – in education, culture and diplomacy – devised by speakers in the Middle East; the uncanny resilience of Chinese throughout twenty centuries of invasions; the progress of Sanskrit from north India to Java and Japan; the struggle that gave birth to the languages of modern Europe; and the global spread of English.Besides these epic achievements, language failures are equally fascinating: why did Germany get left behind? Why did Egyptian, which had survived foreign takeovers for three millennia, succumb to Mohammed’s Arabic? Why is Dutch unknown in modern Indonesia, given that the Netherlands had ruled the East Indies for as long as the British ruled India?As this book engagingly reveals, the language history of the world shows eloquently the real characters of peoples; it also shows that the language of the future will, like the languages of the past, be full of surprises.