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Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language Book
Do you cringe when a talking head pronounces â??nicheâ? as NITCH? Do you get bent out of shape when your teenager begins a sentence with â??and,â? or says â??octopusesâ? instead of â??octopiâ?? Do you think British spellings are more â??civilisedâ? than the American versions? Would you bet the bank that â??jeepâ? got its start as a military term and â??SOSâ? as an acronym for â??Save Our Shipâ?? If you answered yes to any of those questions, youâ??re myth-informed. Go stand in the cornerâ??and read this book!In Origins of the Specious, word mavens Patricia T. Oâ??Conner and Stewart Kellerman explode the misconceptions that have led generations of language lovers astray. They reveal why some of grammarâ??s best-known â??rulesâ? arenâ??tâ??and never wereâ??rules at all. They … read more...explain how Brits and Yanks wound up speaking the same language so differently, and why British English isnâ??t necessarily purer. This playfully witty yet rigorously researched book sets the record straight about bogus word origins, politically correct fictions, phony français, fake acronyms, and more. English is an endlessly entertaining, ever-changing language, and yesterdayâ??s blooper could be tomorrowâ??s bon motâ??or vice versa! Here are some shockers: â??Theyâ? was once commonly used for both singular and plural, much the way â??youâ? is today. And an eighteenth-century female grammarian, of all people, is largely responsible for the all-purpose â??he.â? The authors take us wherever myths lurk, from the Queenâ??s English to street slang, from Miss Grundyâ??s admonitions to four-letter unmentionables. This eye-opening romp will be the toast of grammarphiles and the salvation of grammarphobes. Take our word for it.Read More read less...
from£17.32 | RRP: * Excludes Voucher Code Discount Also available Used from £5.74
- 1400066603
- 9781400066605
- Patricia T. O'Conner, Stewart Kellerman
- 5 May 2009
- Random House
- Hardcover (Book)
- 288
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