The Secret Life of Words by Henry Hitchings
This week The Media Book Club brings you Henry Hitchings’ The Secret Life of Words, recent winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys prize for writers under 35. Hitchings ventures in to the history and etymology of words that have entered the English Language from pre-Roman Britain to the latest street slang. John Morrish said of Hitchings acclaimed book, ‘this clever, persuasive, delightful book is studded with entertaining observations, whether he’s telling us that “poppycock” comes from the Dutch for “doll’s shit”, or that the Australian language Guugu Yimidhirr has a special vocabulary reserved for talking to one’s brother-in-law’ – Independent on Sunday.
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Tags: Etymology of words, Henry Hitchings, language books, Linguistic books, The Secret Life of Words
