America in So Many Words: Words That Have Shaped America
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.66 (990 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0618002707 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-08-22 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
It chronicles year by year the contributions Americans have made to the vocabulary of English and the words Americans have embraced through the evolution of the nation. This book presents a unique historical view of American English. For important years from the settlement of Jamestown until 1750, and for every year from 1750 through 1998, a prominent word is analyzed and discussed in its historical context. The authors -- both lifelong students of American English -- bring great depth of understanding to these key words that have made America, and American English, what they are today.. The result is a fascinating survey of American linguistic culture through past centuries
"An Interesting Perspective On US History" according to A Customer. This book gives the historical background of over three hundred words that are in some way uniquely American-born. Boring, you say? Never! The entries are arranged chronologically and include some words that you might suspect (underground railroad, motel) and quite a few that may surprise you (hello, bathtub, bug). Each entry provides a fascinating look at the people and times that led to the development of the word. An index lets you look up specific words.
A fascinating reference you'll read from cover to cover, America in So Many Words beautifully illustrates the ways in which history and vocabulary converge. . Word by word and year by year, America in So Many Words traces the origins and historical context of America's distinctive additions to the English language, from "canoe" (1555) all the way to "Ebonics" (1997). Did you know that the word "juke" (as in "jukebox") comes from the West African language Wolof and means "to make mischief"? Or that the slang expression "bogus" reaches as far back as 1797, when it signified a counterfeit coin? Like the country from which it emerged, American English is a vital multicultural stew of sources and influences. "O.K.," for instance, appeared in 1838 as part of a Boston fad for abbreviations--in this case, the humorously misspelled "all correct." "Rock an