Words in Time: Social History of English Vocabulary (Language Library)

by Geoffrey Hughes (Author)

• New

  Paperback
  1989

  $50.01

  The word blurb derives from a pulchritudinous young lady of that fictional name who appeared on a book-cover at the turn of the century. Quarrying the Oxford English Dictionary for its evidence, this book traces the extraordinary way in which English words have changed their meanings over the past millennium. These shifts both reflect Britain's rich history and reveal the social determinants of the language. In English vocabulary is stored the archaeological evidence of such great social transformations as the Norman Conquest, the growth of capitalism, the coming of the Reformation and the evolution of feudal hierarchy into democracy. The key terms reflecting these changes are discussed in detail and set out in a variety of word fields. The invention of printing and the development of mass media have accelerated the rate of change in the language to a remarkable and unprecedented degree. Professor Hughes traces the impact of journalism, as well as the linguistic capitalism of advertising, and analyzes the techniques whereby words are made the vehicles of political propaganda and national ideology. The book illuminates the dual aspect of language. Words are simultaneously fossils in which the culture of the past is stored, and vital organisms responsive to the pressures of the present. They do not change their meanings in an entirely arbitrary fashion, but form a revealing segment of social evidence.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1988

  $3.27

  The word salary has its roots in the word salt . So, incidentally, do saucer and sausage . Offices today are where we work. In the Middle Ages an office was part of the sacred liturgy. Gay meant only lighthearted until comparatively recently. Now it is more commonly used to mean homosexual . This book may be seen as a kind of commentary on the Oxford English Dictionary . Quarrying the OED for its evidence, it traces the extraordinary way in which English words have changed their meaning over past centuries. These shifts in meaning both chart and reflect England's historical development. In our vocabulary is the archaeological evidence of such great historical transformations as the Norman conquest, the growth of capitalism, the invention of printing and the coming of the Reformation. Words today are shifting their meanings at a remarkable and unprecedented rate. Geoffrey Hughes looks closely at the impact of journalism and advertising and shows how politics, science and academia are all leaving their mark on the ever-changing meaning of words. This work should be of interest to general readers as well as students and specialists in the history of English.