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HOW ENGLISH BECAME ENGLISH

Name: HOW ENGLISH BECAME ENGLISH
Author: Simon Horobin
ISBN: 978-0-19-875427-5

A SHORT HISTORY OF A GLOBAL LANGUAGE

by Simon Horobin ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2016

A happy mixture of scholarship, clear writing, and humor.

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A linguistics scholar glances at the history of the English language and takes on some contentious contemporary issues—from “fewer” and “less” to the relationship between language and social status.

Horobin (English Language and Literature/Univ. of Oxford; Does Spelling Matter?, 2013, etc.) takes us swiftly through the history of the English language, occasionally slowing to point out some engaging phenomena. Throughout his text are some informative, and often amusing, graphics that illustrate and elaborate on his points (Calvin and Hobbes make an appearance). Horobin certainly attends to the geography and maps of his journey, reminding us about the earliest ancestors of English—with an interesting argument that perhaps Old English is so different from Modern English that it ought to be considered a separate language—about the English tendency to borrow from other languages, and about our enduring fondness for creating words (one of the most enjoyable is “adorkable”: socially clumsy but charming). The author also teaches us about the evolution of dictionaries, grammar and usage guides, of the effects of social media, and of the association of “correct” usage with status—a fact quite evident today: see Facebook memes, Twitter wars, indignant op-ed pieces, and usage manuals. The author continually reminds us that “correctness” and preferred usage did not come down the mountain with Moses. Printers and others often invented them—sometimes fairly recently—and usage continuously changes. Horobin believes that teaching standard English remains important and, illustrating his own point, invariably uses “comprise” and “disinterested” in the correct manner. Near the end, he sketches some differences among the varieties of English in regions around the world. A tacit message throughout for speakers and writers of English: relax. Things have always changed, and they will continue to do so.

A happy mixture of scholarship, clear writing, and humor.

Pub Date: May 1, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-19-875427-5

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Oxford Univ.

Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.