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The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World
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The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World Paperback - 2011

by Philip Gooden

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Reader reviews for The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World

From the publisher

Born as a Germanic tongue with the arrival in Britain of the Anglo-Saxons in the early medieval period, heavily influenced by Norman French from the 11th century, and finally emerging as modern English from the late Middle Ages, the English language has grown to become the linguistic equivalent of a superpower, and is now sometimes described as the world's lingua franca.

Worldwide some 380 million people speak English as a first language and some 600 million as a second language. A staggering one billion people are believed to be learning it. English is the premier international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy and also on the Internet. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945. It is considered by many good judges to be well on the way to becoming the world's first universal language.

Author Philip Gooden tells the story of the English language in all its richness and variety. From the intriguing origins and changing definitions of common words such as 'OK', 'beserk', 'curfew', 'cabal' and 'pow-wow', to the massive transformations wrought in the vocabulary and structure of the language by Anglo-Saxon and Norman conquest, through to the literary triumphs of Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales and the works of Shakespeare.

The Story of English is a fascinating tale of linguistic, social and cultural transformation, and one that is accessibly and authoritatively told by an author in perfect command of his material.

Details

  • Title The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World
  • Author Philip Gooden
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Latest Ed.
  • Pages 304
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Quercus Publishing, London
  • Publication date 2011-11
  • Features Bibliography, Index, Price on Product - Canadian, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780857383280 / 0857383280
  • Weight 0.4 lbs (0.18 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 in (19.56 x 12.70 x 2.03 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Category Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy
  • Library of Congress subjects English language - History, Language spread - History
  • Dewey Decimal Code 420.9

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Citations

  • Booklist, 01/01/2012, Page 24

About the author

Philip Gooden is the author of The Guinness Guide to Better English and the editor of The Mammoth Book of Literary Anecdotes.

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The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World
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The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World

by Philip Gooden

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9780857383280 / 0857383280
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Quercus Publishing Plc, 2011-04-28. Paperback. Very Good. 2.0984 19.6850 12.8902. Bumped edges. Creased cover. Creased pages. Slight scratches to cover. Slight tear to spine Sun Damage to edge of pages.
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The Story of English: How the English language conquered the world
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The Story of English: How the English language conquered the world

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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World
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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World

by Gooden, Philip

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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World
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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World

by Gooden, Philip

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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World

The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World

by Philip Gooden

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  • Paperback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Quercus, 2011. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World
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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World

by Gooden, Philip

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Quercus. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World
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The Story of English : How the English Language Conquered the World

by Gooden, Philip

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780857383280 / 0857383280
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Description:
Quercus. Used - Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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The Story of English
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The Story of English

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The Story of English: How the English language conquered the world
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The Story of English: How the English language conquered the world

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