Horrible Words
Author | : Rebecca Gowers |
Publisher | : National Geographic Books |
Total Pages | : 0 |
Release | : 2017-05-23 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780141978970 |
ISBN-13 | : 014197897X |
Rating | : 4/5 (70 Downloads) |
Download or read book Horrible Words written by Rebecca Gowers and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2017-05-23 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nothing inflames the language gripers like a misplaced disinterested, an illogical irregardless, a hideous operationalisation. To purists these are 'howlers' and 'non-words', fit only for scorn. But in their rush to condemn such terms, are the naysayers missing something? In this provocative and hugely entertaining book, Rebecca Gowers throws light on a great array of horrible words, and shows how the diktats of the pedants are repeatedly based on misinformation, false reasoning and straight-up snobbery. The result is a brilliant work of history, a surreptitious introduction to linguistics, and a mischievous salute to the misusers of the language. It is also a bold manifesto asserting our common rights over English, even as it questions the true nature of style.