This revised and expanded second edition of English Words brings the study
of words up to date with coverage of text messaging and email and includes new
material on psycholinguistics and word meaning.How do we find the right word for the job? Where does that word come from?
Why do we spell it like that? And how do we know what it means? Words are all
around us - we use them every day to communicate our joys, fears, hopes,
opinions, wishes and demands - but we don't often think about them too deeply.
In this highly accessible introduction to English words, the reader will
discover what the study of words can tell them about the extraordinary richness
and complexity of our daily vocabulary and about the nature of language in
general. Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, the book covers a wide
range of topics, including the structure of words, the meaning of words, how
their spelling relates to pronunciation, how new words are manufactured or
imported from other languages, and how the meaning of words changes with the
passage of time. It also investigates how the mind deals with words by
highlighting the amazing intellectual feat performed routinely when the right
word is retrieved from the mental dictionary.; This revised and expanded second edition brings the study of words right up
to date with coverage of text messaging and email and includes new material on
psycholinguistics and word meaning. With lively examples from a range of
sources - encompassing poetry, jokes, journalism, advertising and clich?s - and
including practical exercises and a fully comprehensive glossary, English Words
is an entertaining introduction to the study of words and will be of interest
to anyone who uses them.
