Historical and comparative linguistics

The English language is riddled with phrases that are complete nonsense. Ever met "a monkey's uncle," seen a "red-handed" thief, or "put a sock in it" when asked? You knows the real meaning of these common expressions, but do you know where, why, and how...

Brit Speak for Yanks!Back in 1887, Oscar Wilde wrote, "We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language." One would think, in a world homogenized by technology and social media, that differences between British...

The vocabulary of past times, no longer used in English, is always fascinating, especially when we see how it was pilloried by the satirists of the day. Here we have Victorian high and low society, with its fashionable and unfashionable slang, its class...

Highly original and enjoyable examination of the etymology behind a selection of trades and professions, unearthing intriguing nuggets of historical information along the way. Includes explanations of common surnames; obsolete jobs such as pardoner or...

Encompassing eponyms from medicine, botany, invention, science, fashion, food and literature, this book uncovers the intriguing tales of discovery, mythology, innovation and infamy behind the eponyms we use every day. The perfect addition to any...

Widely seen as among the most influential Italian thinkers of all time, Antonio Gramsci's highly original Marxism continues to be studied across the globe, even after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Gramsci and Languages offers an explanation of this...

Three centuries of English idioms-their unusual origins and unexpected interpretationsTo pay through the nose. Raining cats and dogs. By hook or by crook. Curry favor. Drink like a fish. Eat crow. We hear such phrases every day, but this book is the...

Why does Hebrew matter?In answering this question, HebrewRoots, Jewish Routes addresses the many ways engagement with Hebrew enriches Jewishness-culturally, religiously, ethnically.Whether you know Hebrew or not, linguist and cultural anthropologist...

Coptic emerged as the written form of the Egyptian language in the third century, when Greek was still the official language in Egypt. By the time of the Arab conquest of Egypt in 641, Coptic had almost achieved official status, but only after an...

English has borrowed more words from French than from any other modern foreign language. French words and phrases-such as a la mode, ennui, naivete and caprice-lend English a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that would otherwise elude the language. Richard...

Australian slang unites the true blue and the dinky-di and separates the cheeky little possums from the happy little Vegemites. In this attractive new pictorial guide, readers will learn to distinguish their drongos from their dropkicks and discover...