Weeds in the Garden of Words: Further Observations on the Tangled History of the English Language

by Kate Burridge

Overview

Kate Burridge follows the international success of Blooming English with another entertaining excursion into the ever-changing nature of the complex and captivating English language. If language is a glorious garden, filled with exotic hybrids as well as traditional heritage specimens, then weeds will also thrive on its fertile grounds. Linguistic weeds may be defined as pronunciations or constructions that are no longer used. For example, Burridge points out how "aint" or double negatives were at one time quite acceptable in everyday speaking and writing but are now classified as "weeds" that should no longer have a place in our vocabulary. And, as she so deftly accomplished in Blooming English, Burridge goes on here to further celebrate our capacity to play with language, and to examine the ways we use it: in slang and jargon, swearing, speaking the unspeakable, or concealing unpleasant or inconvenient facts. In this new volume she gives us another fun and informative work for enjoyable browsing; for discovering intriguing trivia about language, history, and social customs; and for employing as a peerless weapon in word games. Kate Burridge is the Chair of Linguistics at Monash University and a regular presenter of segments on the Australian Broadcast Company.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521618236
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/16/2005
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.39(w) x 8.54(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Kate Burridge is Professor of Linguistics at Monash University. She is well known for her broadcasts on ABC Radio's Soundback.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the weedy traits of the English language; 2. Lexical weeds: the world of jargon, slang and euphemism; 3. More lexical weeds: word origins and meaning shifts; 4. Our grammatical weeds; 5. Weeds in our sounds and spelling; 6. The truly nasty weeds of the English language?; 7. W(h)ither our weeds?

Editorial Reviews

"Popular treatments of English usage abound. But this book brings a fresh perspective to the topic, drawing an analogy between 'weeds' in a garden and so-called errors of English usage. This metaphor is sustained throughout the book and really helps the reader understand that many usages that we now condemn as 'weeds' ...were at one time quite ordinary members of the linguistic 'garden'." Professor Charles F. Meyer, University of Massachusetts, Boston

"[Burridge's] astute observations, dry humor, clear prose and fushion (yes!) combine to make Burrdige's well indexed book an enjoyable treat for logophiles." —Catholic Library World

From the Publisher