Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme—And Other Oddities of the English Language
Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme—And Other Oddities of the English Language
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Abstract
This book presents an illustrated history of English as told through all the things that are weird about it. Maybe you have been speaking English all your life, or maybe you learned it later on. But whether you use it just well enough to get your daily business done, or you are an expert who never omits a comma or misplaces a modifier, you must have noticed that there are some things about this language that are just weird. Why are there so many silent letters? Why do we have irregular verbs? The book answers these questions and many more. Along the way, it tells the story of the many influences—from invading French armies to stubborn Flemish printers—that made the English language the way it is today. Both an entertaining send-up of linguistic oddities and a deeply researched history of English, the book is essential reading for anyone who has paused to wonder about this marvelous mess of a language.
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Front Matter
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What the Hell, English?
Arika Okrent andSean O’Neill
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Blame the Barbarians
Arika Okrent andSean O’Neill
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Blame the French
Arika Okrent andSean O’Neill
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Blame the Printing Press
Arika Okrent andSean O’Neill
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Blame the Snobs
Arika Okrent andSean O’Neill
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Blame Ourselves
Arika Okrent andSean O’Neill
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That’s Enough Now, English
Arika Okrent andSean O’Neill
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End Matter
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