An Uncommon Tongue: The Uses and Resources of English

by Walter Nash

Overview

First published in 1991, An Uncommon Tongue explores the theme of usage in its widest sense: usage as what we say or write; usage as a social question; usage as a literary convention; usage and creativity.

The book reflects on the practice and status of the English language in the modern world and the demands it makes on its academic disciplines. It puts forward the argument that the study of usage transcends both the ‘prescriptive’ and ‘descriptive’ and is ultimately ‘constructive’, displaying the resources of language and exploring their use.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367744410
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/01/2021
Series:	Routledge Revivals
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1: Standards and Stuff; 2: Usage, Users and the Used; 3: The Difficulty of Explaining: A Word or Two about Dictionaries; 4: Our True Intent: Or What's the Point of Punctuation?; 5: The Possibilities of Paraphrase; 6: On Parody: A Discourse with Interludes; 7: The Meanings of Metadiscourse; 8: On Writing Well; 9: Composition and Creativeness; 10: Historic Event, Creative Effort: The Making of a Dramatic Poem; 11: English: A Global Resource?; Appendix A; Appendix B; Notes; Index

Editorial Reviews

Explores the wide range of language usage in speech and writing, as a social question, as a literary convention, and in creativity, illustrating the practice and status of the English language in the modern world and the demands it makes on its academic disciplines. Nash (English, U. of Nottingham) argues that the study of usage transcends both the prescriptive and the descriptive, and is ultimately constructive. His account is informal, often witty, and accessible to the general reader. Also in paper (not seen) for $14.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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