Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling - Rilegato

Wolman, David

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 006136925X ISBN 13: 9780061369254

Casa editrice: Smithsonian Books, 2008

Riassunto

A narrative history of the ways in which the English language has been shaped by common misspellings shares the stories of omitted or added silent letters, evaluates the role of the Internet in rendering mistakes acceptable, and traces the efforts of such figures as Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and Theodore Roosevelt in reforming spelling rules. 30,000 first printing.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

The lively, informative book is full of evidence/cocktail party fodder proving that the English spelling system is a hopeless tangle of French, Dutch, Latin, German and much, much more and really makes no sense at all. (Portland Tribune)

An intellectual travelogue across the centuries that also ranges geographically from the Litchfield haunts of Dr. Johnson, creator of the first great English dictionary, to the Silicon Valley home of Les Earnest, the progenitor of computerized spell-checking. (Wall Street Journal)

“An engaging ramble through our orthographic thickets” (Boston Globe)

A lively, engaging look at the idiosyncratic derivations and permutations of spelling in the English language. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

“Sprightly history that sensibly balances the merits of standardization against the forces for freedom.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“A funny and fact-filled look at our astoundingly inconsistent written language, from Shakespeare to spell-check.” (St. Petersburg Times)

L'autore:

David Wolman is a freelance journalist and the author of A Left-Hand Turn Around the World (Da Capo, 2005). He has written for Wired, Newsweek, Discover, National Geographic Traveler, New Scientist, Outside, Delta Sky, Portland Monthly, and Forbes, and lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Smithsonian Books
• Data di pubblicazione: 2008
• ISBN 10: 006136925X
• ISBN 13: 9780061369254
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 211