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Inventing English: A Portable History of the Language

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Description

Inventing English: A Portable History of the LanguageWhy is there such a striking difference between English spelling and English pronunciation? How did our seemingly relatively simple grammar rules develop? What are the origins of regional dialect, literary language, and everyday speech, and what do they have to do with you? Seth Lerer's Inventing English is a masterful, engaging history of the English language from the age of Beowulf to the rap of Eminem. Many have written about the evolution of our

Why is there such a striking difference between English spelling and English pronunciation? How did our seemingly relatively simple grammar rules develop? What are the origins of regional dialect, literary language, and everyday speech, and what do they have to do with you?

Seth Lerer's Inventing English is a masterful, engaging history of the English language from the age of Beowulf to the rap of Eminem. Many have written about the evolution of our grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary, but only Lerer situates these developments in the larger history of English, America, and literature.

Lerer begins in the seventh century with the poet Caedmon learning to sing what would become the earliest poem in English. He then looks at the medieval scribes and poets who gave shape to Middle English. He finds the traces of the Great Vowel Shift in the spelling choices of letter writers of the fifteenth century and explores the achievements of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of 1755 and The Oxford English Dictionary of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He describes the differences between English and American usage and, through the example of Mark Twain, the link between regional dialect and race, class, and gender. Finally, he muses on the ways in which contact with foreign languages, popular culture, advertising, the Internet, and e-mail continue to shape English for future generations.

Each concise chapter illuminates a moment of invention-a time when people discovered a new form of expression or changed the way they spoke or wrote. In conclusion, Lerer wonders whether globalization and technology have turned English into a world language and reflects on what has been preserved and what has been lost. A unique blend of historical and personal narrative, Inventing English is the surprising tale of a language that is as dynamic as the people to whom it belongs.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 04/01/2007
ISBN: 9780231137942
Pages: 305
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.24h x 6.40w x 1.10d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 01/15/2007 pg. 40
Library Journal 03/01/2007 pg. 84
Booklist 03/15/2007 pg. 10
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SKU: 58886384340

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ediebegonia
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 3
Pack's Promise was okay but not great
Format: Kindle
Pack's Promise was okay but not great. I won't recommend it to anyone that I know. PRO: * Very likable characters * Lots of steamy scenes that are written very well * The spelling and grammar are good * The punctuation is good with the exception of using hyphens instead of commas. Lots of hyphens. Lots and lots of hyphens. CON: * Almost no interactions with any characters outside of Madison and the pack * Nearly no plot. They meet, get together for a heat, agree to make it permanent, done * Quite a few typos such as extraneous words, missing words and words out of order THINGS TO KNOW: * More steamy scenes than storytelling * A lot of MM & MMM, some MFMM during heat
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Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2023
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LJM
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
such a good read
Format: Kindle
Madison, Lucas, Grey and Rian were made for each other!!! First time reading from this author and I’m not disappointed!!! Absolutely love the Love in this book and couldn’t ask for a better OV!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023
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Beccaroo
New York, US
★★★★★ 4
Fluffy and Nice Omegaverse
Format: Kindle
… this would have made 5 stars but for 2 reasons. A.) there were quite a few typos; misspelled words, missing quotations, “the his” mistakes, and various signs that maybe a proofread would do good. B.) the writing was quite textbook. Late blooming omega is struggling with her new self, finds a absurdly wealthy pack of alphas, every thing is almost insta-love but she resists, then decides to love herself and let everyone be happy. Rian was my favourite (obviously the author’s favourite too because he got the most page time) but I wish we could see more of his CEO side? He went to work maybe ONCE the entire time. Gray was supposed to be the “growly one” but he turned out to be puppy dog. Lucas was a genius brainiac doctor - but also super alpha with an aggressive hindbrain with a breeding k*nk?? And then there was no actual “breeding”?? Spice 3/5 - normally omegaverse books are super high on messy smut but this was tamer. Romance 3/5 - insta-love that was then resisted because of personal hangup’s Plot 2/5 - weird paced head hopping, showing the same scene from different POV’s that made me feel like it was 2 steps backward, 1 step forward. Humour 4/5 - there were a dozen lines that genuinely made me chuckle out loud Would have been five stars but the lack of proofreading and the predictable plot made me unable to get up to ADORED IT level - four stars is still and official ENJOYED IT, y’all. This isn’t a bad rating. The “Club Heat” has intriguing possibilities so I’m going to give the second one a shot.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2023
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Trouble In FL
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Fantastic writing and non-stop action
Format: Kindle
This is a promising, fantastic beginning to what will be a 4-book series. Some readers may be content to read only the first 2 books, but I think you'll find that the story is so good that you'll want to keep reading books 3 and 4. Book 1 is about omega Elvana's introduction to the "Starling" brothers and their search for another missing person, Kelly. It's a bit of a rocky start, with deception and betrayal a key element. Hardly an auspicious beginning. Each member has their own path and purpose in the pack. Their interactions and the resulting narrative are so well-written that I found it difficult to put down. There is a cliffhanger that will have you reaching for book 2 as you finish, so make sure you have it on hand.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2023
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rilakk
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 4
Fun read
Format: Kindle
I'm not really into mafia books but I love Roxy Collin's other series so I decided to give it a try. It had the same great romance, spice, swoon-worthy characters and exciting plot that are her signature. Arben was my favorite, although it was a bit sudden how quickly he changed from ignoring her to wanting to be pack. There were almost too many twists/layers of lies to keep track of but I'm looking forward to reading the other books. The only thing that detracted from the story for me was the need for a bit more proofreading. It was mentioned that Kelly is a female and male at different points, leading me to think she changed her mind at some point about the character's gender but didn't go back and edit it to align in all places. Like another reviewer pointed out, step siblings are different than half siblings. They are incorrectly referred to as step siblings because they (allegedly) share the same biological dad. There are a few other typos as well but those aren't a big deal.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2025

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