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Blooming English: Observations on the Roots, Cultivation and Hybrids of the English Language
 
 

Blooming English: Observations on the Roots, Cultivation and Hybrids of the English Language (Paperback)

by Kate Burridge (Author) "Most of the material in this book is provided by the 180 or so radio pieces that I've written for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC's)..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Customers buy this book with Weeds in the Garden of Words: Further Observations on the Tangled History of the English Language by Kate Burridge

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Product details

  • Paperback: 252 pages
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press (21 Aug 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0521548322
  • ISBN-13: 978-0521548328
  • Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 569,367 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

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Product Description

Review

‘Blooming English is easy to read, informative and entertaining … Anyone interested in the English language should get it. Enjoy!’ Herald Sun

‘In Blooming English Burridge has wrested our beloved language away from fusty and pedantic linguists and championed its ability to grow and develop. Her passion for the complexities of language fuels this book and really rubbed off on me.’ (publication not known)

‘Burridge observes the unruly garden of language with the dedication and wonder of a seasoned botanist. Her enthusiasm is infectious.’ The Age

‘She has a wonderful ability to make quite complex linguistic issues accessible to a general audience, often with the aid of wit and humour.’ Australian Book Review

‘Burridge writes 'racial and ethnic swearwords are the true obscenities. Their use is so provocative as to have legal consequences’.’ Times Literary Supplement

‘… a fascinating little book …’ Writers Forum

’… a book, which far from being a dry study in linguistics, is eminently readable and infused by a dry sense of humour.’ Writing Magazine

'Blooming English is an enjoyable browse, with fascinating insights into a wide range of questions concerning the English language. It is erudite yet light-hearted, and well informed while being accessible.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

’Blooming English is a well-researched and neatly edited introduction into the world of linguistics for non- specialists. This is in particular due to Kate Burridge's extraordinary talent for explaining rather complicated linguistic topics in a way that is accessible to non-linguists, which is greatly facilitated by her wonderful enthusiasm … its casual style makes Blooming English excellent reading … It therefore is highly recommendable to language enthusiasts, no matter whether professional or amateur.‘ Robert Mailhammer, LINGUIST List


Product Description

English is the most creative, changeable and imaginative of languages. Some words are invented to meet temporary needs and are quickly discarded; others carry meanings hundreds of years old. Language fascinates us, and we spend a lot of time playing with it, concocting everything from puns, riddles and secret languages to wonderful prose and poetry. We also worry about it a great deal, looking up and checking words in dictionaries and usage guides, occasionally arguing about definitions. This book celebrates our capacity to play with language, as well as examining the ways we use it: in slang and jargon, swearing, speaking the unspeakable, or concealing unpleasant or inconvenient facts. It is a book for browsing, for finding beguiling snippets about language, history and social customs, and a formidable weapon in word games.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Most of the material in this book is provided by the 180 or so radio pieces that I've written for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC's) Soundbank. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly interesting read, 23 Dec 2005
By N. Wood "Impatient" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
As the author explains early on, this is a great book for dipping into. It's filled with a broad array of short chapters that focus on different rules, regulations and other curiosities of what I now believe to be the most ambigous modern language.

This is a book that opens eyes to the peculiarities of English and helps us to better understand how we convey meaning in the words that we produce. Never again will I be caught saying,

"but that's not a real word!".

It would definately be of interest to anyone who's keen to dig a little deeper into both the development of English and it's contemporary use.

It's written in a very informal style, originally having been designed as a series of radio programs. This makes it easy to read in short burst; perhaps ideally suited to someone of a reduced attention span.

A wonderfully informative read that benefits from not being battered through in one sitting.

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Blooming Lovely Book, 16 Jan 2005
By Keith Appleyard "kapple999" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
One of the nicest books I've read on the English Language, with a mix of British, American & Australian, as well as other minor tongues.

Very thorough and in-depth review of the history & evolution of English, without being too academic or highbrow.

I liked learning about changes in meanings of words, two-faced intensifiers, and words that are their own opposites. There are reviews of how yesterdays Standard English became today's colloquialisms, and some prediction of which of today's colloquialisms are about to become Standard English.

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