Language: History & General Works

What do the longest-serving Canadian Prime Minister and a ketamine-injecting psychonaut have in common? What would a poltergeist mongoose say if yo...

From fjords to mountains, schools of herring to herds of reindeer, Scandinavia is rich in astonishing natural beauty. Less well known, however, is ...

Studies in LSP in Colombia began in the 1990s, mainly in the discipline of terminology. Since then, studies in translation, terminology, and LSP ha...

Everyone remembers the Queens Annus Horribilis, but what do 'quid pro quo' and 'habeas corpus' mean? Why do plants have Latin names? Why do familie...

Hence, old goat! Coriolanus Ever think of what you meant to say ten minutes after the argument ended? Never again! Consult the best, dust the rest,...

A compelling history of the national conflicts that resulted from efforts to produce the first definitive American dictionary of English In The Dic...

Never be at a loss for words again! Mental Floss's Word Nerd 2025 Day-to-Day Calendar delivers the goods on historic curses and old insults, fun an...

In 1609, the first Dutch settlers arrived in America and established trading posts, small towns, and forts up and down what we now call the Hudson ...

In this volume, the communicative and neuropsychological correlates of daily interactions are discussed. The predominant account on explaining the ...

A Companion to the Latin Language presents a collection of original essays from international scholars that track the development and use of the La...

In this major new text, Joshua Fishman charts the rise of vernacular literacy in Europe, and the major social, economic, religious, political, demo...

A fascinating comparative account of sacred languages and their role in and beyond religion written for a broad, interdisciplinary audience Sacred ...

A common belief is that systems of writing are committed to transparency and precise records of sound. The target is the language behind such marks...

Bold as brass, cold feet, cock and bull, off the cuff, red herrings and white elephants. We use these phrases every day and yet have only the vague...

Have you ever wondered what phrases such as 'square meal', 'load of old codswallop', 'egg on your face' or 'in the limelight' mean? Where do they c...