Language: History & General Works

The English language is liberally populated with idioms, similes and metaphors associated with firearms and conflict going back to the 14th Century...

The vocabulary of past times, no longer used in English, is always fascinating, especially when we see how it was pilloried by the satirists of the...

An entertaining, informative, and elegantly designed guide that makes understanding punctuation marks and symbols simple and fun. ...

The punctuation marks, mathematical symbols and glyphs which haunt the edges of our keyboards have evolved over many hundreds of years. They shape ...

What did a gongfarmer do? How is a chaperone connected to a bird of prey? What is the etymology behind cloud architect? And is there a link between...

A celebration of all the weird and wonderful books to be found at an antiquarian bookshop. Books have the power t...

James Geary explores every facet of wittiness, from its role in innovation to why puns demonstrate the essence of creativity. Geary reasons that wi...

This is a book about the structure, history and evolution of the Japanese language.The Japanese Language is a classic study of one of the world's m...

Had you said What a guy! in 17th-century England, anyone would have understood you were admiring a flaming effigy of Guy Fawkes of the Gunpowder Tr...

Pronunciation governs our regional and social identity more powerfully than any other aspect of spoken language. No wonder, then, that it has attra...

From the author of the bestselling Motherfoclóir, Non-fiction Irish Book of the Year. A TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR. What do we talk about when we talk...

Polari is a language that was used chiefly by gay men in the first half of the twentieth century. At a time when being gay could result in criminal...

From the author of the bestselling Motherfoclóir, Non-fiction Irish Book of the Year. A TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR. What do we talk about when we talk...

The English language is rich with eponyms words that are named after an individual some better known than others. This book features 150 of the m...

A History of the English Language in 100 Places is a joyous ride through time, where readers can criss-cross the British Isles and the world at lar...

Here is a real treat for lovers of English the very first dictionary in our language. Contrary to popular opinion, this honour goes not to Samuel ...

With all the bells and whistles, this intriguing guide to all those everyday phrases really is the bees knees for anyone with a love of the English...

A fascinating collection of the many unusual and vibrant phrases that adorn our language, looking at their origins and meanings. Dont be down in th...

Fast Company reporter Joe Berkowitz investigates the bizarre and hilarious world of pun competitions from the Punderdome 3000 in Brooklyn to the Wo...

We say a lot about ourselves by what we don't say. Words and phrases like 'collateral damage', 'wardrobe malfunction', 'vertically challenged', and...

Are standards of English alright - or should that be all right?To knowingly split an infinitive or not to?And what about ending a sentence with pre...

Fjaka: the sublime state of aspiring to do absolutely nothing. Warmduscher: a warm showerer, meaning a bit of a wimp. Tener mano izquierda: literal...

From the comfort of an armchair and with the aid of this new book, the reader can travel to the Breadalbane and Argyll of Duncan Ban Macintyre; the...

In On the Tip of My Tongue, logophile and television star Tom Read Wilson takes a delicious dive into the etymology and usage of words, euphemisms ...

''Punctuation is not only an important part of our language code; an advanced system of punctuation has been a driving force in our entire Western ...

We use salty or artful language to win arguments, slander, cheat and bully, as well as to express feelings of joy or frustration and blow off steam...

George Orwells essay examines the power of language to shape political ideas. It is about the importance of writing concisely, clearly and precisel...

Any history of English starts with the evidence its narrators select, the historical periods they focus on, and the guiding principles and framewor...

Pull up a bollard and get to know the colourful language of the Royal Canadian Navy. Do you ever get channel fever so bad only a great homeward bou...