The Secret Lives Of Words

Author : Henry Hitchings
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2009-09-29
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781429941570

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The Secret Life of Words by Henry Hitchings Pdf

Words are essential to our everyday lives. An average person spends his or her day enveloped in conversations, e-mails, phone calls, text messages, directions, headlines, and more. But how often do we stop to think about the origins of the words we use? Have you ever thought about which words in English have been borrowed from Arabic, Dutch, or Portuguese? Try admiral, landscape, and marmalade, just for starters. The Secret Life of Words is a wide-ranging account not only of the history of English language and vocabulary, but also of how words witness history, reflect social change, and remind us of our past. Henry Hitchings delves into the insatiable, ever-changing English language and reveals how and why it has absorbed words from more than 350 other languages—many originating from the most unlikely of places, such as shampoo from Hindi and kiosk from Turkish. From the Norman Conquest to the present day, Hitchings narrates the story of English as a living archive of our human experience. He uncovers the secrets behind everyday words and explores the surprising origins of our most commonplace expressions. The Secret Life of Words is a rich, lively celebration of the language and vocabulary that we too often take for granted.

Author : Paul West
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin
Page : 312 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : UOM:39015042476096

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The Secret Lives of Words by Paul West Pdf

Word-lovers rejoice! This fascinating book reveals the amazing and bizarre histories of language's building blocks. "A sorcerer of language".--"Publishers Weekly".

Author : Kory Stamper
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2018-03-06
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781101970263

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Word by Word by Kory Stamper Pdf

“We think of English as a fortress to be defended, but a better analogy is to think of English as a child. We love and nurture it into being, and once it gains gross motor skills, it starts going exactly where we don’t want it to go: it heads right for the goddamned electrical sockets.” With wit and irreverence, lexicographer Kory Stamper cracks open the obsessive world of dictionary writing, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it to the knotty questions of ever-changing word usage. Filled with fun facts—for example, the first documented usage of “OMG” was in a letter to Winston Churchill—and Stamper’s own stories from the linguistic front lines (including how she became America’s foremost “irregardless” apologist, despite loathing the word), Word by Word is an endlessly entertaining look at the wonderful complexities and eccentricities of the English language.

Author : James W. Pennebaker
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 366 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2011-08-23
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781608194971

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The Secret Life of Pronouns by James W. Pennebaker Pdf

A surprising and entertaining explanation of how the words we use (even the ones we don't notice) reveal our personalities, emotions, and identities. We spend our lives communicating. In the last fifty years, we've zoomed through radically different forms of communication, from typewriters to tablet computers, text messages to tweets. We generate more and more words with each passing day. Hiding in that deluge of language are amazing insights into who we are, how we think, and what we feel. In The Secret Life of Pronouns, social psychologist and language expert James W. Pennebaker uses his groundbreaking research in computational linguistics-in essence, counting the frequency of words we use-to show that our language carries secrets about our feelings, our self-concept, and our social intelligence. Our most forgettable words, such as pronouns and prepositions, can be the most revealing: their patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints. Using innovative analytic techniques, Pennebaker X-rays everything from Craigslist advertisements to the Federalist Papers-or your own writing, in quizzes you can take yourself-to yield unexpected insights. Who would have predicted that the high school student who uses too many verbs in her college admissions essay is likely to make lower grades in college? Or that a world leader's use of pronouns could reliably presage whether he led his country into war? You'll learn why it's bad when politicians use "we" instead of "I," what Lady Gaga and William Butler Yeats have in common, and how Ebenezer Scrooge's syntax hints at his self-deception and repressed emotion. Barack Obama, Sylvia Plath, and King Lear are among the figures who make cameo appearances in this sprightly, surprising tour of what our words are saying-whether we mean them to or not.

Author : Tom Mole
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2020-12-02
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1783965290

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The Secret Life of Books by Tom Mole Pdf

We love books. We take them to bed with us. They weigh down our suitcases on holiday. We display them on our bookshelves, give them as gifts, write our names in them. We take them for granted. And all the time, our books are leading a double life. The Secret Life of Books is about everything that isn't just the words. It's about how books transform us as individuals, the stories they tell us about ourselves. It's about how books - and readers - have evolved over time. And it's about why, even with the arrival of other media, books still have the power to change our lives. In this stylish and thought-provoking meditation, Tom Mole looks at everything from binding innovations to binding errors, to books defaced by lovers, to those imprisoning professors in their offices, to books in art, to burned books, to the books that create nations, to those we'll leave behind. A striking text in a stunning package, it will change how you think about books.

Author : Masaru Emoto
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2011-07-05
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781451656862

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The Secret Life of Water by Masaru Emoto Pdf

From its arrival on earth to the vast areas it traverses before emptying into the sea, water holds all the knowledge and experience it has acquired. As phenomenal as it may seem, water carries its whole history, just as we carry ours. It carries secrets, too. In The Secret Life of Water, bestselling author Masaru Emoto guides us along water’s remarkable journey through our planet and continues his work to reveal water’s secret life to humankind. He shows how we can apply its wisdom to our own lives, and how, by learning to respect and appreciate water, we can better confront the challenges that face the twenty-first century—and rejuvenate the planet.

Author : Simon Pulleyn
Publisher : Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Language and languages
ISBN : 1788400240

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The Secret Life of Language by Simon Pulleyn Pdf

This book looks at how language has evolved around the globe from ancestral proto-languages to our recognisable modern tongues. It demonstrates how language has been shaped by social and cultural influences, and even explains how our anatomy affects the articulation, and therefore evolution, of words. Discover the surprising stories behind the origin of the written word, the difficulties of decipherment and the challenge of inventing from scratch languages such as Dothraki. Combining expert analysis with accessible narrative and fun illustrations, The Secret Life of Language makes even the complex topics of philology, morphology and phonology easy to understand.

Author : Allison Keating
Publisher : Gill & Macmillan Ltd
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2018-09-14
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9780717179541

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The Secret Lives of Adults by Allison Keating Pdf

People have been sharing their life stories with psychologist Allison Keating for the past eighteen years, and the words she hears most often are 'I feel overwhelmed,' followed by 'I thought I'd have it figured out by now.'Adulthood is tough. As we try to divide ourselves between our partner, children, parents, siblings, friends and colleagues, it is no wonder we can feel overwhelmed, often neglecting the most important relationship of all – the one we have with ourselves.The Secret Life of Adults invites you to audit and improve your seven key relationships, looking at how the experiences of your past impact on who you are today.Ask yourself: - Who are you in your relationships? - Are they supportive, nourishing and empowering – or draining and filled with anxiety? - Is there a big gap between your public and private self? - What are your expectations of others and of yourself? - Do you understand why you react to certain comments from family or friends? - Do you repeat patterns of behaviour in your relationships?The Secret Life of Adults has exercises and techniques to help you get to know yourself better and understand why you behave as you do in each part of your life, allowing you to unlock the secret to less stressful and more meaningful relationships.

Author : Kassia St Clair
Publisher : John Murray
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Color
ISBN : 1473630835

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The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair Pdf

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox. Every colour has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking. Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer.' Simon Garfield The Secret Lives of Colour tells the unusual stories of the 75 most fascinating shades, dyes and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso's blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acidyellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history. In this book Kassia St Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilisation. Across fashion and politics, art and war, TheSecret Lives of Colour tell the vivid story of our culture.

Author : Simon Pulleyn
Publisher : Secret Life of
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 0228100925

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The Secret Life of Language by Simon Pulleyn Pdf

Like its companion titles, The Secret Life of Language uses quirky illustrations, helpful diagrams and clear text to unlock the fascinating workings behind the development of the world's languages. Readers will gain insight into the extraordinary underlying stories and facts about the language (or languages) they speak, as well as those that they perhaps would like to learn. Six chapters cover all of the world's language groups from their historic origins to today as well as the physical mechanics of speech. Language is essential to us all -- spoken, heard, written, read -- no matter which we use. Today, cultures move and meld across the globe in waves of migration taking their languages with them. The Secret Life of Language is sure to pique the interest of all general readers, language learners and those curious about the future of language.

Author : Erin McKean
Publisher : 5 Spot
Page : 188 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2011-02-10
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780446575157

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The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean Pdf

When her grandmother has a stroke, Dora returns to the small town where she grew up to take over her family's vintage clothing store -- and meets a handsome contractor. Is he interested in Dora? Or is he working from a different blueprint? Dora has always taken the path of least resistance. She went to the college that offered her a scholarship, majoring in "vagueness studies," and wears whatever shows the least dirt. She falls into a job at the college coffee shop and has a crush on her flirty boss, Gary. But just when she's about to test Gary's feelings, Mimi, the grandmother who raised her, suffers a stroke. Dora rushes back to Forsyth, NC, and finds herself running her grandmother's vintage clothing store while her grandmother recovers -- andmeets Mimi's adorable contractor, Conrad. The store has always been a fixture in Dora's life; though she grew up more of a jeans-and-sweatshirt kind of girl, before she even knew how to write, Mimi taught her that a vintage 1920s dress could lift a woman's spirit. But why has Mimi started writing down -- and giving away -- stories of the dresses in her shop? Amidst personal and professional turmoil, can Dora can trade her boring clothes for vintage glamour and her boring life for one she actually wants?

Author : Rebecca Lee
Publisher : Profile Books
Page : 374 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2022-03-17
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781782837596

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How Words Get Good by Rebecca Lee Pdf

'Any bibliophile will find many enjoyable nuggets in this compendium of book chat' Stephen Poole, Guardian 'An engaging little eye-opener about the publishing business, full of tasty nuggets about books, writers and their editors' Sunday Times 'Enjoyable ... engaging ... insightful' Independent Once upon a time, a writer had an idea. They wrote it down. But what happened next? Join Rebecca Lee, professional text-improver, as she embarks on a fascinating journey to find out how words get from an author's brain to finished, printed books. She'll reveal the dark arts of ghostwriters, explore the secret world of literary agents and uncover the hidden beauty of typesetting. Along the way, her quest will be punctuated by a litany of little-known (but often controversial) considerations that make a big impact: ellipses, indexes, hyphens, esoteric points of grammar and juicy post-publication corrections. After all, the best stories happen when it all goes wrong. From foot-and-note disease to the town of Index, Missouri - turn the page to discover how books get made and words get good.* * Or, at least, better

Author : Serena Terry
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 299 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2022-03-03
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780008512941

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The Secret Life of an Uncool Mum by Serena Terry Pdf

The Sunday Times bestselling novel from viral sensation, @MammyBanter A hilarious warts-and-all novel about modern motherhood – and how having it all sometimes isn’t what you think it might be.

Author : Dominic Anglim
Publisher : Puppy Dogs & Ice Cream
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2021-11
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1956462473

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The Secret Words by Dominic Anglim Pdf

Color through Rija's adventure through the evergreen Madagascar forest and learn about the importance of self-confidence! Rija, an Aye-Aye lemur, used to be very shy. Every time she wanted to do something new, she'd give up before even trying. She just didn't believe in herself enough, and that made her very sad. Until one day, she discovered the power of 4 secret words that helped her find confidence and try new things without fear or doubt! Rija will be happy to share her secret words with you, if you take her home!

Author : Deesha Philyaw
Publisher : ONE (Pushkin)
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2023-06
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1911590715

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The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw Pdf