Overview
Did you know that the English language has over 150 words for the adjective 'drunk' developed over 1,000 years? Be prepared to learn words you have never heard before, find out fascinating facts behind everyday words, and be surprised at how lively and varied the English language can be. Published to critical acclaim in 2009, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is the first comprehensive thesaurus in the world to arrange words by meaning in order of first recorded use. Using its unique perspective on how the English language has developed, Words in Time and Place takes 15 themes and explores the language in these areas over time - explaining when new words appeared, where they came from, and what such changes say about times in which they emerged. The themes chosen are varied, universal topics and show the semantic range of the thesaurus and what it can tell us about the words used in areas of everyday life. Learn about the different words for dying and money, or types of pop music, as well as words for a privy, oaths, and words for being drunk. Written by the world's leading expert on the English language, David Crystal, the book carries his trademark style of engaging yet authoritative writing. Each chapter features an introduction to the language of that topic, followed by a timeline of vocabulary taken from the historical thesaurus showing all the synonyms arranged in chronological order. The timelines are annotated with additional quotations, facts, and social and historical context to give a clear sense of how words entered the English language, when, and in which context they were used.Words in Time and Place showcases the unique and excellent resource that is the Historical Thesaurus and reveals the linguistic treasures to be found within. This fascinating book will appeal to anyone with an interest in words and in the development of the English language.
Full Product Details
Author: David Crystal (Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 14.80cm
, Height: 2.40cm
, Length: 22.20cm
Weight: 0.478kg
ISBN: 9780199680474
ISBN 10: 0199680477
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 18 September 2014
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
I'm delighted to see the HTOED being put to such interesting and innovative use. With his customary verve and erudition, Crystal demonstrates how a thesaurus-based approach to meaning casts new light on the vast store of information in the alphabetical OED, and on the cultural context in which English has been used for the past 1300 years. As the introductory essays succinctly explain, the topics of the fifteen chapters, with their enticing titles, have been carefully chosen both for their intrinsic interest and for the insights they give into the structure and purpose of HTOED and the development of English as a whole. This, plus the addition of intriguing nuggets of cultural and critical scholarship, results in a wholly fascinating compendium of linguistic and social information which should inspire everyone interested in the history of the English language.
The book is a browser's delight. * Michael Quinion, World Wide Words * It's the kind of book that you can browse through time and again and learn something new each time. This one is staying on my Kindle for good! * Corinne Rodrigues, Write Tribe * If you like the sound of being spliflicated, muckibus, pottical or swacked, David Crystal's Words in Time and Place is for you. * Susie Dent, Books of the year 2014, Spectator * beautifully written * Annie Martirosyan, Huffington Post Blogs * Scholarly, yet in classic Crystal style, with the Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch serving to illustrate Anglo-Saxon defunctive synonymy, this is a serious yet accessible introduction to a supreme work of reference * Good Book Guide * fascinating, erudite and highly entertaining * Tablet, Matthew Adams * Anyone interested in wordsand their origins will derive a great deal of pleasure from perusing this book. * Network Review * Colourful phrases and expressive slang abound * Writing Magazine * As a companion piece to the weightier and more expensive Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, or a more accessible and affordable alternative, Words in Time and Place is an invaluable and engaging whistle-stop tour of the English language. * Reference Reviews, Sarah Powell *
Author Information
David Crystal is known throughout the world as a writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster on language. He has published extensively on the history and development of English, including The Stories of English (2004), Evolving English (2010), Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language (2010), The Story of English in 100 Words (2011), Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling (2012), and Wordsmiths and Warriors: The English-Language Tourist's Guide to Britain (with Hilary Crystal, 2013).
