books tagged “philology”

The pioneering work on the roots & origins of the English language. The remarkable scholarship of Walter W. Skeat (1835-1912) was instrumental in the revival of the great works of early English literature, & he inspired later philologists & lexicographers. Skeat's astonishing detective work into the origins & development of the world's most widely used language provides an unsurpassed guide to its flexibility & richness. This edition of his larger Etymological Dictionary is not a mere abridgment, but was entirely rewritten by Skeat. [via]

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. [via]

This 1901 volume of A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language completely updates the classic reference work first published in 1882. Skeat provides a staggering number of words, including those most frequently used in everyday speech and those most prominent in literature. They appear along with their definitions, their language of origin, their roots, and their derivatives. Those who are fascinated with the English language will find much to explore here and many overlooked but interesting tidbits and treasures of an ever-evolving language. Walter W. Skeat was a scholar of Old English, mathematics, English place names, and Anglo-Saxon. He founded the English Dialect Society in 1873 and was a professor at Cambridge University. Skeat edited many classic works, including Lancelot of the Laik, Piers Plowman, The Bruce, Lives of Saints, and a seven-volume edition of Chaucer. [via]

Explains the origins of the familiar and unfamiliar in phrase and fable. [via]

Buck's Dictionary remains an indispensable tool for diachronic analysis of the Indo-European languages. Arranged according to the meaning of words, the work contains more than 1,000 groupings of synonyms from the principal Indo-European languages. Buck first tabulates the words describing a particular concept and then discusses their etymological and semantic history, tracing changes in meaning of the root words as well as presenting cases indicating which of the older forms have been replaced by expressions of colloquial or foreign origin. [via]

A New York Times Bestseller

In 2002 Lynne Truss presented a well-received BBC Radio 4 series about punctuation which led to the writing of Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The book became a runaway success in the UK, hitting number one on the bestseller lists and prompting extraordinary headlines such as "Grammar Book Tops Bestseller List" (BBC News). With over a half million copies in print in England, Truss is ready to rally the troops on this side of the pond with her rousing cry, "Sticklers unite!"

Available only in Core 7. [via]

A History of the Hebrew Language is a comprehensive description of Hebrew from its Semitic origins and the earliest settlement of the Israelite tribes in Canaan to the present day. Professor Sáenz-Badillos sets Hebrew in the context of the Northwest Semitic languages and examines the origins of Hebrew and its earliest manifestations in ancient Biblical poetry, inscriptions, and prose written before the Babylonian exile. He looks at the different medieval traditions of pointing classical Biblical Hebrew texts and the characteristic features of the post-exilic language, including the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He gives particular attention to Rabbinic and medieval Hebrew, especially as evidenced in writings from Spain. His survey concludes with the revival of the language in this century in the form of Israeli Hebrew. [via]

The history of the Viking peoples and kingdoms, from their half-glimpsed origins and legendary prehistory to the triumphs of Canute, is as exciting a story as has ever been told. Professor Jones's classic work incorporates all the latest research. [via]

Originally published in 1944 as one of the Primers for the Age along with Mathematics for the Million and Science for the Citizen, this well-loved book has worked its way through many impressions and influenced the whole approach to language teaching. [via]

Here is an informative introduction to language: its origins in the past, its growth through history, and its present use for communication between peoples.

Ask a logophile or crossword-puzzle addict what the holiest of holy reference works might be, and you're almost certain to receive a three-letter acronym in reply: the OED. Now in 20 volumes and still growing, the Oxford English Dictionary is an astounding monument, one that, like the Great Wall and the Roman Forum, seems to have been around forever. But, writes the always interesting explorer Simon Winchester in The Meaning of Everything, it took decades--and considerable sums of money--to bring it into being. The Scottish autodidact James Augustus Henry Murray, surrounded by a small army of underpaid and overworked helpers, laboured over it for more than half a century, seeing into print "a total of 227,779,589 letters and numbers, occupying fully 178 miles of type" that brought the elusive histories of words such as walrus (courtesy of J. R. R. Tolkien) and cow ("the female of any bovine animal," courtesy of Murray himself) into sharp relief. The making of the great dictionary over the years and decades seems an unlikely topic for a sometimes romantic, sometimes suspenseful tale, but Winchester delivers just that. Those who cherish words will find it a constant pleasure. --Gregory McNamee [via]

Who would have thought that a book about English would be so entertaining? Certainly not this grammar-allergic reviewer, but The Mother Tongue pulls it off admirably. Bill Bryson--a zealot--is the right man for the job. Who else could rhapsodize about "the colorless murmur of the schwa" with a straight face? It is his unflagging enthusiasm, seeping from between every sentence, that carries the book.

Bryson displays an encyclopedic knowledge of his topic, and this inevitably encourages a light tone; the more you know about a subject, the more absurd it becomes. No jokes are necessary, the facts do well enough by themselves, and Bryson supplies tens per page. As well as tossing off gems of fractured English (from a Japanese eraser: "This product will self-destruct in Mother Earth."), Bryson frequently takes time to compare the idiosyncratic tongue with other languages. Not only does this give a laugh (one word: Welsh), and always shed considerable light, it also makes the reader feel fortunate to speak English. [via]

The compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary, 70 years in the making, was an intellectually heroic feat with a twist worthy of the greatest mystery fiction: one of its most valuable contributors was a criminally insane American physician, locked up in an English asylum for murder. British stage actor Simon Jones leads us through this uncommon meeting of minds (the other belonging to self-educated dictionary editor James Murray) at full gallop. Ultimately, it's hard to say which is more remarkable: the facts of this amazingly well-researched story, or the sound of author Simon Winchester's erudite prose. Jones's reading smoothly transports listeners to the 19th century, reminding us why so many brilliant people obsessively set out to catalogue the English language. This unabridged version contains an interview between Winchester and John Simpson, editor of the Oxford dictionary. (Running time: 6.5 hours, 6 cassettes) --Lou Schuler [via]

Tolkien's first job, on returning home from World War I, was as an assistant on the staff of the OED. He later said that he had "learned more in those two years than in any other equal part of his life." The Ring of Words reveals how his professional work on the Oxford English Dictionary influenced Tolkien's creative use of language in his fictional world.
Here three senior editors of the OED offer an intriguing exploration of Tolkien's career as a lexicographer and illuminate his creativity as a word user and word creator. The centerpiece of the book is a wonderful collection of "word studies" which will delight the heart of Ring fans and word lovers everywhere. The editors look at the origin of such Tolkienesque words as "hobbit," "mithril, "Smeagol," "Ent," "halfling," and "worm" (meaning "dragon"). Readers discover that a word such as "mathom" (anything a hobbit had no immediate use for, but was unwilling to throw away) was actually common in Old English, but that "Mithril," on the other hand, is a complete invention (and the first "Elven" word to have an entry in the OED). And fans of Harry Potter will be surprised to find that "Dumbledore" (the name of Hogwart's headmaster) was a word used by Tolkien and many others (it is a dialect word meaning "bumblebee").
Few novelists have found so much of their creative inspiration in the shapes and histories of words. Presenting archival material not found anywhere else, The Ring of Words offers a fresh and unexplored angle on the literary achievements of one of the world's most famous and best-loved writers. [via]

This is the fourth volume of the Clarendon edition of Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy and the first of three volumes of Commentary. It tracks down more of Burton's sources and allusions than any previous edition and explains and translates all Latin passages. [via]

Probably the most comprehensive thesaurus on the market. For virtually any word search, it is guaranteed that you can find the most appropriate word with the utmost assurance because of its succinct definition. [via]

Combining scholarly authority with a new  awareness of today's communication demands,  Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus is the simple,  reliable way to find the perfect word for your  needs. It features as easy-to-use dictionary format  plus a revolutionary concept index that arranges  words by idea, thus enhancing the user's process of  association, and leading scores of additional  selections. The inclusion of a wide spectrum of words  and phrases with each entry -- from sophisticated  choices to completely new vocabulary in the  language -- brings the user an exceptional number of  alternatives to fit any variation of style and tone.  Created by a leading expert in linguists and  lexicography with today's communication needs in mind.  More word choices than any other thesaurus -- Over  1 million words! Concise definitions for each main  entry. A revolutionary concept index -- arranged  by idea, it mirrors the way we actually think! No  obsolete terms -- all synonyms reflect modern  usage. [via]

Combining scholarly authority with a new  awareness of today's communication demands,  Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus is the simple,  reliable way to find the perfect word for your  needs. It features as easy-to-use dictionary format  plus a revolutionary concept index that arranges  words by idea, thus enhancing the user's process of  association, and leading scores of additional  selections. The inclusion of a wide spectrum of words  and phrases with each entry -- from sophisticated  choices to completely new vocabulary in the  language -- brings the user an exceptional number of  alternatives to fit any variation of style and tone.  Created by a leading expert in linguists and  lexicography with today's communication needs in mind.  More word choices than any other thesaurus -- Over  1 million words! Concise definitions for each main  entry. A revolutionary concept index -- arranged  by idea, it mirrors the way we actually think! No  obsolete terms -- all synonyms reflect modern  usage. [via]

Combining scholarly authority with a new  awareness of today's communication demands,  Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus is the simple,  reliable way to find the perfect word for your  needs. It features as easy-to-use dictionary format  plus a revolutionary concept index that arranges  words by idea, thus enhancing the user's process of  association, and leading scores of additional  selections. The inclusion of a wide spectrum of words  and phrases with each entry -- from sophisticated  choices to completely new vocabulary in the  language -- brings the user an exceptional number of  alternatives to fit any variation of style and tone.  Created by a leading expert in linguists and  lexicography with today's communication needs in mind.  More word choices than any other thesaurus -- Over  1 million words! Concise definitions for each main  entry. A revolutionary concept index -- arranged  by idea, it mirrors the way we actually think! No  obsolete terms -- all synonyms reflect modern  usage. [via]

Combining scholarly authority with an awareness of todays communication demands, Rogets 21st Century Thesaurus is the simple, reliable way to find the perfect word for your needs. It features an easy-to-use dictionary format plus a revolutionary Concept Index that arranges words by idea, thus enhancing the users process of association and leading to scores of additional selections. The inclusion of a wide spectrum of words and phrases with each entry(from sophisticated choices to completely new vocabulary in the language(brings users an exceptional number of alternatives to fit any variation of style and tone.

"Created by the highly respected Princeton Language Institute
"More word choices than any other thesaurus (OVER 1 MILLION WORDS!)
"Concise definitions for each main entry
"A revolutionary Concept Index (arranged by idea, it mirrors the way we actually think!)
"No obsolete terms (all synonyms and antonyms reflect modern usage) [via]

Roget's International Thesaurus®, fifth edition, is the original -- now completely expanded, reorganized, revised and updated -- the definitive thesaurus for the 21st century.While retaining Dr. Peter Mark Roget's fundamental and brilliant category concept which groups all synonyms, antonyms and related words together for quick and easy comparison without all the needless repetition and cross referencing of alphabetical thesauruses, this new fifth edition is:the most up-to-date -- with 1073 categories including 31 entirely new ones concerning such topics as the body, fitness and exercise, substance abuse, all kinds of sports, books, motion pictures and computer sciencedefinitive -- based on extensive word association research into how words are actually used, resulting in the most current reflection of the language today and including the latest phrases, slang and commonly used foreign terms the most comprehensive thesaurus available -- 325,000 words and phrasesan invaluable source book with many additional features -- boldface type for the most commonly used words in a category, usage and foreign language labels throughout and a unique and useful feature of word lists including lists for measurements, gods and goddesses, manias and phobias, groups and movements, state mottos and moretime-tested -- this definitive, updated edition retains the original time-tested format that allows much more depth of information [via]

A classic reference book that has been used by millions all over the world, Roget's International Thesaurus is the product of more than a century and a half of continuous expansion, reorganization, and improvement. Today, this book is not only the most time-tested and bestselling thesaurus ever, but, newly revised, it is also the most up-to-dateand comprehensive reflection of theEnglish language as it is currently used.

The revolutionary achievement of Dr. Peter Mark Roget's first edition in 1852 was the development of a brand-new principle: the arrangement of words and phrases according to their meanings. Dr. Roget's system brings together in one place all the terms associated with a single thought or concept; it allows a wide-ranging survey of language within a book of relatively modest size, without the space-consuming repetitions that so severely limit the scope of thesauruses arranged in a dictionary format with A-to-Z entries. This brilliant organization makes Roget's International Thesaurus both the most efficient word finder and a cutting-edge aid in stimulating thought, organizing ideas, and writing and speaking more clearly and effectively.

This revised and updated sixth edition features thousands of new words and phrases, including the newest slang words and expressions that color and inform everyday language. At the same time, it retains all of the hallmarks that have made Roget's international Thesaurus an enduring classic:

• More than 330,000 words and phrases organized into 1,075 categories.

• A pinpoint reference system that directs the user quickly from a comprehensive index to the numbered category of the right word. Thousands of cross-references throughout lead to other helpful categories.

• Hundreds of supplemental word lists that supply the names of things which have no synonyms (measurements, wines, weapons, animals, state mottoes, and more) as well as hundreds of quotations that amplify the meanings of selected words.

Generations of students, writers, editors, and speakers have made Roget's the most popular word reference book next to the dictionary. Continuing a legacy that dates back more than 150 years, Roget's International Thesaurus is an indispensable work for everyone who wants to use the English language with clarity and precision.

An updated edition of this reference work which reflects the huge changes that language has undergone over the last decade. The original structure of the book is maintained, giving access to not only synonyms but related thoughts, feelings and topics. Originally published in 1852. [via]

The standard reference tool for students, teachers, writers, editors, and anyone who needs to find just the right word is available in an up-to-date, redesigned edition at a sale price. [via]

The standard reference tool for students, teachers, writers, editors, and anyone who needs to find just the right word is available in an up-to-date, redesigned edition at a sale price. [via]

The standard reference tool for students, teachers, writers, editors, and anyone who needs to find just the right word is available in an up-to-date, redesigned edition at a sale price. [via]

Language - in its communicative and playful functions, its literary formations and its shifting meanings - is a perennially fascinating topic. C. S. Lewis's Studies in Words explores this fascination by taking a series of words and teasing out their connotations using examples from a vast range of English literature, recovering lost meanings and analysing their functions. It doubles as an absorbing and entertaining study of verbal communication, its pleasures and problems. The issues revealed are essential to all who read and communicate thoughtfully, and are handled here by a masterful exponent and analyst of the English language. [via]

The making of the "Oxford English Dictionary" was a monumental 50 year task requiring thousands of volunteers. One of the keenest volunteers was a W C Minor who astonished everyone by refusing to come to Oxford to receive his congratulations. In the end, James Murray, the "OED's" editor, went to Crowthorne in Berkshire to meet him. What he found was incredible - Minor was a millionaire American civil war surgeon turned lunatic, imprisoned in Broadmoor Asylum for murder and yet who dedicated his entire cell-bound life to work on the English language. [via]