Spellbound: The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling. James Essinger

Spellbound: The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling



Download Spellbound: The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling



Spellbound: The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling James Essinger ebook
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Page: 336
ISBN: 9780385340847


Welcome to the illogical, idiosyncratic, outrageous linguistic phenomenon known as the English language. The story of how this ragtag collection of words evolved is a winding tale replete with intriguing accidents and bizarre twists of fate. In this eye-opening, fabulously entertaining book, James Essinger unlocks the mysteries that have confounded linguists and scholars for millennia. From the sophisticated writing systems of the ancient Sumerians through the tongue twisters of Middle English, the popular National Spelling Bee, and the mobile phone text-messaging of today, Spellbound chronicles the fascinating history of English spelling, including insights about the vast number of words English has borrowed from other languages (“orange,” “vanilla,” and “ketchup,” to name a few), and how their meanings differ from country to country. Featuring a lively cast of characters ranging from the fictional to the historically noteworthy (Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, Shakespeare, Bill Gates), this affectionate tribute to English spelling shows why our whimsical, capricious common language continues to hold us spellbound.

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