In Praise of English: The Growth and Use of Language

by Joseph T. Shipley

A survey of the origins of language and the development of English celebrates the vitality, variety, and versatility of the English language

Genres: Science, History

310 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1982

About the author

Joseph Twadell Shipley (August 19, 1893 – May 11, 1988) was an American drama critic, author, editor and associate professor of English at Yeshiva College in New York City.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Gerry Beane · Rating 4 out of 5]

If, like me, you enjoy reading about and learning about the minutiae of the English language, then this book is for you. For example, did you know there are 7 types of dictionaries, or 3 types of language [synthetic, analytic & inflectional] or that there are words whose definitions are also their opposites [autantonyms], or the various ways words get added to the language [invention, combination, borrowing from another language, application of proper names, abbreviations & acrostics, figures of speech, folk etymology, euphemisms, conversions of word combinations, backformation, affixes of suffixes or prefixes, shifts of meaning, sound changes, etc.], or that palindromes can be words, phrases or even shapes, or how homonyms have provided fun for centuries, especially through puns, etc?, etc?, etc.

This book is readable, interesting and entertaining to anyone who loves language and loves words!