| The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English Contributor(s): Murphy, Lynne (Author) |
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ISBN: 0143131109 ISBN-13: 9780143131106 Publisher: Penguin Books OUR PRICE: $15.30 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: April 2018 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics - Historical & Comparative - History | United States - General - History | Europe - Great Britain - General |
| Dewey: 427.9 |
| LCCN: 2017057417 |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 5.4" W x 8.3" (0.65 lbs) 368 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: CHOSEN BY THE ECONOMIST AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR An American linguist teaching in England explores the sibling rivalry between British and American English "English accents are the sexiest." "Americans have ruined the English language." Such claims about the English language are often repeated but rarely examined. Professor Lynne Murphy is on the linguistic front line. In The Prodigal Tongue she explores the fiction and reality of the special relationship between British and American English. By examining the causes and symptoms of American Verbal Inferiority Complex and its flipside, British Verbal Superiority Complex, Murphy unravels the prejudices, stereotypes and insecurities that shape our attitudes to our own language. With great humo(u)r and new insights, Lynne Murphy looks at the social, political and linguistic forces that have driven American and British English in different directions: how Americans got from centre to center, why British accents are growing away from American ones, and what different things we mean when we say estate, frown, or middle class. Is anyone winning this war of the words? Will Yanks and Brits ever really understand each other? |