| Word Routes: Journeys Through Etymology Contributor(s): Tulloch, Alexander (Author) |
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ISBN: 0720612438 ISBN-13: 9780720612431 Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers OUR PRICE: $20.66 Product Type: Paperback Published: December 2004 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics - Etymology |
| Dewey: 422 |
| Physical Information: 0.66" H x 6.96" W x 7.3" (0.51 lbs) 220 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Why aren t bald eagles bald? What s the link between gnomes and being enormous? What connects a Christmas carol with the Russian for "street?" Tracing the routes of more than500 English words through time and across the globe, this guideunderscores the surprising, amusing twists, turns, and encounters between words on their long journeys into modern English. For instance, the KeresGreek goddesses of destruction who haunted Homeric battlefields dressed in blood-soaked robes, would probably be a little miffed to learn that the only decay with which they are today synonymous is tooth decay, or caries. Neither a straightforward dictionary of etymology nor a linear history of language, this is an entertaining alphabeticalanalysis ofthe stories behind many everyday words. It is an idealcompanion for journalists, teachers, historians, or simply anyone who is interested in the fascinating story of the English language." |
