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Books > Language & Literature > Language & linguistics > General
An entertaining collection of strange, delightful and unexpectedly
apt words from the origins of English, which illuminates the lives,
beliefs and habits of our linguistic ancestors. 'A marvelous book'
Neil Gaiman 'Wonderful' - Tom Holland 'A lovely, lovely read' -
Lucy Mangan 'Splendid' - David Crystal 'Thorough, entertaining, and
absolutely fascinating.' Paul Anthony Jones, Haggard Hawks In this
beautiful little book, Hana Videen has gathered gems of words
together to create a glorious trove and illuminate the lives,
beliefs and habits of our linguistic ancestors. We discover a world
where choking on a bit of bread might prove your guilt, where
fiend-ship was as likely as friend-ship, and you might grow up to
be a laughter-smith. These are the magical roots of our own
language: you'll never see English in the same way again.
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