Proto
£22.00‘The fascinating story of ancient words ? new revelations await’ The Guardian
‘A truly extraordinary detective story’ Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything
________________________________
Showing all 4 resultsSorted by latest
-
-
Prose and cons
£16.99As fans of Just a Minute know, the key to the game is knowing your way around the English language: how it works, how it’s evolved, and how words connect, often in surprising ways. When it comes to the English language (and Just a Minute), Gyles Brandreth has seen it all – and now he’s ready to put you through your linguistic paces, to become a Just a Minute expert yourself. In this wildly entertaining A to Z of verbal acrobatics, Gyles takes you on a whirlwind tour of our mother tongue – from the origins of words and correct grammar and punctuation, to similes, euphemisms and record breaking tongue twisters (try getting your mouth around floccinaucinihilipification!). An idiosyncratic blend of history, word play, anecdote, and hyperbole, all in 60-second instalments, this is Gyles Brandreth at his word-perfect, Just-a-Minute best.
-
Mother tongue
£16.99When we look to the past, we often expect to be disappointed. In the history of language, we expect to find misogyny around each corner, a disdain for or absence of the voice of women. But the history of women’s words, as it turns out, is full of surprises. From the monthly flux or flowers to the mgs that experience them, from the original helpmeet, Eve, to the viragos who fronted early feminism, it is undeniable that there was a wealth of riches for describing our experiences, our lives and our selves. In fact, as women have made slow progress towards equality, we’ve paradoxically lost some of the most expressive and eloquent bits of our vocabulary. Here, Jenni Nuttall shines a light on them, to dust them off and see if we’ve any use for them today. ‘Mother Tongue’ is a rich, provocative and entertaining history of women’s words – of the language we have, and haven’t, had to share our lives.
-
Why do shepherds need a bush?
£9.99The names of the 300 or so underground stations are part of everyday life for Londoners, but we hardly ever question their history. This entertaining book delves into their origins, ensuring you never view your journey in the same way again.