A Century of New Words (Oxford Paperback Reference)

by JohnAyto (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $3.25

  Take a fascinating journey from plastic (1909) to podcasting (2004). This vivid picture of the last 105 years is based on John Ayto's critically acclaimed Twentieth Century Words, and was published in hardback as Movers and Shakers: A chronology of words that shaped our age. It offers a selection of the key words added to the English language in the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first, grouped by decade. An introductory essay identifies the main historical, cultural, and scientific currents running through each decade, and shows how they contributed new vocabulary to the language. An A-Z listing of words which were first recorded in that decade follows, selected for their resonance to today's world. Each word is fully described and its origins explained. A final section looks at vocabulary developments of the new millennium. Full of surprises, this book is at once a glimpse of the past and a handbook for today.