What do you think?
Rate this book
Fanboys and Overdogs: The Language Report
Fanboys and Overdogs is a collection of some of the most intriguing facts and observations on the English language in recent years. In her eminently readable exploration of the changing face of English, Susie Dent takes the reader on a journey through the most exotic and dynamic areas of the
language. From histories of words to the word on the street, this completely new volume explores how language is changing, and gives a 'Word a Year' list for 1905 to 2005.
The book covers new words, and the language of technology, politics, TV, and the media. Other topics covered include foreign words and phrases, word play, word histories, dialect, spelling, and current controversies of grammar and usage.
A brand-new design brings the language to life on the page, and makes the book a pleasure to read. Fanboys and Overdogs is based on the ongoing research at Oxford Dictionaries, home of the Oxford English Dictionary and the largest language research program in the world. Oxford collects and analyses
literally hundreds of millions of words of real language and the findings are presented here, many of them for the first time.
Compellingly informative and readable Fanboys and Overdogs has something for everyone interested in the English language.
language. From histories of words to the word on the street, this completely new volume explores how language is changing, and gives a 'Word a Year' list for 1905 to 2005.
The book covers new words, and the language of technology, politics, TV, and the media. Other topics covered include foreign words and phrases, word play, word histories, dialect, spelling, and current controversies of grammar and usage.
A brand-new design brings the language to life on the page, and makes the book a pleasure to read. Fanboys and Overdogs is based on the ongoing research at Oxford Dictionaries, home of the Oxford English Dictionary and the largest language research program in the world. Oxford collects and analyses
literally hundreds of millions of words of real language and the findings are presented here, many of them for the first time.
Compellingly informative and readable Fanboys and Overdogs has something for everyone interested in the English language.
- GenresNonfiction
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2005
About the author
Susie Dent
25 books536 followersDent was educated at the Marist Convent in Ascot, an independent Roman Catholic day school. She went on to Somerville College, Oxford for her B.A. in modern languages, then to Princeton University for her master's degree in German.
Dent is serves as the resident lexicographer and adjudicator for the letters rounds on long-running British game show Countdown. At the time she began work on Countdown in 1992, she had just started working for the Oxford University Press on producing English dictionaries, having previously worked on bilingual dictionaries.
Dent is serves as the resident lexicographer and adjudicator for the letters rounds on long-running British game show Countdown. At the time she began work on Countdown in 1992, she had just started working for the Oxford University Press on producing English dictionaries, having previously worked on bilingual dictionaries.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 1, 2017
Fanboys and overdogs: the language report is about slang and political buzzwords that were popular in 2005.
It's essentially an essay on the evolution and origin of certain slang and how certain words take a whole new meaning over time.
For example, 'concentration camp' and 'Holocaust' are words that existed before WWII but
Although this report covered some very interesting topics and words, there were a lot of words that I was unfamiliar with - I don't think most of the 2005 slang and buzzwords are used in 2017 anymore. Let me know if you're familiar with any of the following words: memail, spit/skim/skam, botaxes, bluesnarfing, clicktrance, and farbulous.
It's essentially an essay on the evolution and origin of certain slang and how certain words take a whole new meaning over time.
For example, 'concentration camp' and 'Holocaust' are words that existed before WWII but
"The word Holocaust itself became the recognized symbol of the atrocities of the German Nazi regime in the Second World War, its capital letter emphasizing its specificity."
Although this report covered some very interesting topics and words, there were a lot of words that I was unfamiliar with - I don't think most of the 2005 slang and buzzwords are used in 2017 anymore. Let me know if you're familiar with any of the following words: memail, spit/skim/skam, botaxes, bluesnarfing, clicktrance, and farbulous.
Displaying 1 of 1 review